Small Lie and a Lost Bet
by Naruhime
Summary: It was just a small lie to get Ino of my back. Then came the bet which I lost. Than HE came back in time for the festival. All would have worked out if he didn't say it. But he did and we were doomed. Let's just hope Tsunade doesn't hear about it.
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone. Nice to meet you. Just wanted to let you know that this is my first try at fanfiction writing so I hope you will like it even though it might not be the best. The other thing I want to let you know is that I'm not a native speaker so my English might be a bit bad at some places. Just let me know if there is a big mistake and I will edit it in the text.

That's about all from my side so I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it :)

4/11/2012 – Dear Reader, I'm trying to make the story better, as I think I became a better writer during this wonderful experience of writing and actually finishing such a long story (never thought it will be so long)! So, I will be re-posting few chapters, doing little more spell checking and will try to give more depth to the story from the beginning. There will not be big changes to the plot, but feel free to read it again and hopefully enjoy it again! ;)

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Rain was pouring hard outside. Sakura sighed looking out the window at the rain drops knocking on the hospital window and trees bending to the strong rifts of wind.

She already finished all the outstanding medical reports that were neatly piled on her desk. It had been a slow night so she finally had some time to catch up on the reports. Feeling a bit down from the weather she got up and went to the nurse's station to check if there is some work for her to distract herself.

She wasn't the type to get depressed. Better said she fought against it with work, friends and a good chick flick accompanied with comfort food from time to time. The chick flick movies were of course a well kept secret that not even Ino knew about. It would be too embarrassing to acknowledge that she feels all girly and delicate from time to time. It just wouldn't go with her image of a hard working down to earth medic-nin she was. Not at all.

Ever since she was young she was a tomboy. Only time she acted all girly and quite frankly stupid was when she was fawning all over Sasuke during her academy years. But since he left she got over her fan-girl period. Of course she didn't stop loving him but it wasn't a love with big L. She loved him as a friend and as a brother of sorts. Now being all grown up and with little illusions left about life she didn't allow herself to get all weak and depressed over things she couldn't change.

The weather wasn't getting any better and it made her feel uneasy. Storms like these never brought anything good.

As she approached the nurses' station the main doors flung open and three people stumbled in. She immediately ran forward as she saw their dark stained clothes and dripping water that ran down on the floor from their wet clothes that was colored red with their blood.

"Akime, get the OR ready and get more help." Sakura barked at the young nurse standing by the desk. She was standing there with big scared eyes and frozen to the spot. Sakura shouted her name again.

"Akime! I said now. Go." finally her eyes fixed on Sakura instead on the bloody floor.

"A-ah, yes Sakura-san." the young girl finally unfroze from her spot and ran to do her job. By that time Sakura was already by the injured shinobi. Two were dragging the third almost unconscious shinobi between them. She immediately directed her attention on the most unconscious man.

"What happened?" She asked the other two as she started to check the third ones injuries furrowing her brows in concentration.

"We were ambushed by rogue-nin on the way back. Raku was already injured when we were coming back. He lost a lot of blood."

At the familiar voice Sakura turned her head to the other men.

"Kakashi!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Yo, Sakura-chan." he gave her a tired eye crease as he smiled under his wet and dirty mask.

"Are you ok? Are you injured?" She immediately scanned his body with her eyes for any noticeable injuries.

"Just a few scratches. Take care of the others first." He assured her as he saw her investigative green eyes on him.

The other medics were already by them with a gurney and with their help they lay Raku on it.

"Look at the other-" Before she could finish the sentence the other shinobi holding Raku upright, collapsed on her.

"O-oh, ok. We need another gurney. Now!" she puffed as she tried to steady herself with the dead weight of the other man.

Discarding her blood stained gloves Sakura whipped the sweat from her forehead. As she walked outside the OR she saw a hunched figure sitting on the chair.

"Kakashi-sensei. You can go-" she touched his shoulder to get his attention but instead of looking at her he collapsed forward on the ground.

"Kakashi you idiot!" she started murmuring curses under her nose as she quickly checked pushed her chakra into his body checking him for injuries. "Idiot! Stupid, careless idiot!"

"Akime, Seya!" she called out to the nurses that were right behind the corner. "Come here now! Akime, find Shizune and quickly bring her here. Seya, help me get him to the OR and prepare him. That idiot has been sitting here with internal bleeding. Didn't anyone check him?"

The young nurses looked at each other nervously.

"He said he was alright. He said that he is just waiting for the outcome of the surgeries." Seya said in a small voice, knowing full well that she should have done her job more thoroughly and there was no excuse that would justify not taking care of one of the most important ninjas of the village.

"You should never trust Hatake Kakashi when he is in the hospital! Okay? Next time make him get a check-up when he comes in like this from a mission." Sakura scolded the young nurses.

With the help of Seya they got him to the OR and Sakura tried her best to stabilize him until Shizune got there. She was too low on chakra to help him more but she did as much as she could all the while scolding herself for not checking him earlier. _I should have known that he would hide his injuries and leave the hospital as soon as he could without getting checked. He is such an idiot when it comes to his health_. To get him to the annual check-up one usually has to drag him there with a kunai pressed to his neck.

Her knees were starting to shake from exhaustion and she hoped that Shizune will get here as soon as possible. She had to give her all in the previous surgeries as both were badly injured and she was now running too low on charka to fully heal him. Sakura hoped that what she was doing will be enough because they both were cutting it really close. If he survives this she will beat him and heal him and punch him again just to make sure it will get to his thick head that he needs to get treated no matter how small he thinks the injury is.

"Damn it Kakashi!"

First thing that he noticed when he gradually regained consciousness was the smell of disinfectant. He groaned inwardly as he realized exactly why he smelled disinfectant. He couldn't remember going home. That meant only one thing. He was still in the hospital. Slowly he cracked his lone eye open. He had to blink few times as the room was bathed in bright light coming from the sun shining through the hospital window. When his eye adjusted to the light he managed to look at his surroundings and noticed someone standing by the window.

"Awake, are we?" a feminine voice spoke with a hint of accusation.

"_We_ can always go back to sleep." Kakashi replied and proceeded to close his eye.

"Not so fast. You have been asleep for the past three days. I need to do a check-up before you drift off again."

"Again?"

"You have been awake few times but you drifted back to sleep before you were fully conscious."

Sakura sighed and came closer to his bed. She started the usual check-up procedures. Shinning an annoyingly bright light into his eyes and then the worst part came. Her hands started to glow with a faint green light. He knew she had to check him internally too but it was accompanied with THE side-effect. It tickled. To some people it felt nice and warm tingling feeling. But to him it was hell on earth. How can he maintain his image when he bursts into giggles every time someone uses healing chakra on him? He had to muster all concentration he had to stop the giggles from coming out from him. _Oh, kami I can't hold it for too long. _It happens only when Sakura is using her healing chakra on him but the truth is, she is the only medic he ever let's come near to him for the past few years. It just might be her specific chakra that has this effect on him or she is really doing it on purpose.

"Ha -Ehm-hm" Kakashi stiffled the giggle with a fake cough.

Sakura only furrowed her eyebrows more in concentration and bit on her lower lip. If he didn't know her better he would have thought she was fighting a smirk. Her chakra receded from his body and she gave a satisfied nod and a bright smile just before she punched him in the arm.

"You can't do this Kakashi-sensei. You had a serious internal injury. Combined with chakra depletion, lets just say you had about another 10 minutes before you would be beyond saving." She proceeded to give him THE stare as he massaged the injured spot knowing full well that there was no point in protesting. She mastered _the stare_ around the time that she became jounin, at 18 and a medic with her own research team in the hospital. Even Naruto would get the drift when she used it on him. She reserved this stare mostly for those more hospital-phobic shinobi and friends. Being on the receiving end of it made you wish you could turn back time. Even as child, no adult could stare at him like that and make him feel so guilty as she could. He kind of started to wish he was still in coma.

"What a nice weather. It finally stopped raining huh?" he used an evasive tactic and gave her an eye crinkle, but as expected it didn't really work. Well, he had to give it a try.

"Don't try to change the subject. This is a serious matter Kakashi-sensei!" she held the stare for a while and than smiled.

"But it seems you will survive just fine this time. Just don't be so stubborn next time and let someone get a look at you. Ok?" She smiled at him. Something wasn't right. He had the feeling that the lecture was a bit too short and her smile just a bit too sweat.

"Mhm." Kakashi nodded tentatively and tried to merge into the bed as he prepared for the oncoming _thing_ that Sakura would unleash at him any moment now. He yawned and closed his eye and tried to pretend that he went back to sleep.

"You think that will work?" came an unimpressed reply from Sakura.

"Hm? What?" He said with still closed eyes forcing himself to sleep. He had a bad feeling about what was about to come.

"Eh-hm Kakashi?" he carefully cracked his eye open. She had forgone the sensei this time so it must be something serious.

"Yes, Sakura?"

"Would-you-go-out-with-me-to-the-festival-on-Friday?" She blurted the sentence out in one breath and closed her eyes.

He couldn't really decipher all of what she said but he got the general idea. His one visible eye widened at the suggestion of them going out. On a date.

"Go out?" He asked, trying to stall time and to ascertain he heard her right.

"It wouldn't really be a date. We just need to break up." She smiled and nodded her head as if it made perfectly good sense.

"Break up? Am I missing something?" Kakashi was now completely lost and confused. _Did he miss part of the conversation somewhere? A date? Break up? Does that mean they are together and going out? _He tried to remember if he hit his head on the mission that could explain the little amnesia he had about their relationship.

"For how long was I in a coma?"

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P.S.: Let me know if you like it by reviewing ;) Thank you ^^


	2. Chapter 2

The night was brightened by the hundreds of burning lanterns hanging from all places on the main streets of Konoha. Streets were filled with people mostly dressed in kimono or yukata. One of those people was Sakura. As he approached her from behind he could see her pink hair standing out of the crowd. Her shoulder length hair was partly in a small bun held by two hair pins. The rest of her hair was loosely falling on her shoulders. Her three long braids were falling down her back. He always wondered why she had them. She was wearing a black kimono with small white flowers sewed on the bottom part of her kimono and small white butterflies . Her obi was the most light pink you can find. It was almost white. Once more he though about turning around and running away but then he remembered he was a man of his word. Most of the time at least. With a small inward sigh he took the few steps that were separating him from his tonight's "date".

"Yo. Sakura-chan."

Sakura turned swiftly around with a small frown.

"You're late. " She said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"You know, as I was on my way here I stumbled into..."

"Save it!" She stopped him before he could elaborate more on his lie. "I told you to be here earlier so we can talk through the break-up. Now we won't have time before Ino gets here."

"I could always go home." He said as he started to turn around to leave.

"The hell you are!" Sakura swiftly grabbed him by the collar and stopped him before he could flee. "I kept my side of the deal now keep yours Hatake." She hissed at him.

"Ok. Ok I'll stay. But no sexual harassing. Someone might get the wrong idea." He said and winked at her.

That is when she noticed she had her hands on his chest. She must have moved them there unconsciously after he turned back around. She swiftly removed them.

"Don't get any ideas Kakashi-_sensei._" She put a distinct emphasis on the sensei part to make sure she didn't see him as anything else.

"Me? Never." He gave her and eye crinkle and took his favorite orange book out.

"Your unbelievable! You really expect this to look like a date? With that book out? Could you please put it away until we are finished here? "

He peaked up from the book and said with a mischievous glint in his eye. "If this was a real date we would be ..."

She hit him on the head before he could finish the sentence blushing furiously.

"Pervert!"

He put the book away and looked around the street. He smiled softly under his mask. This is proving to be more fun than he thought before he agreed to this _date. _

_Six days ago (in the hospital)_

"Go out?" He asked.

"It wouldn't really be a date. We just need to break up." She smiled and nodded her head.

"Break up? Am I missing something?" He was now completely confused. A date? And a break up? Does that mean they are together?

"For how long was I in a coma?"

Sakura looked depserately at Kakashi. She closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. She sat down in the chair next to his bed.

"I told Ino that we were going out."

"Why would you do that?" Asked still very confused Kakashi.

"Well she was always buging me about being single and kept setting me up on these stupid blind dates. I just wanted her off my back for a while. "

"So you told her we were a couple?"

"Yep. We had a fight once again about a blind date she sat me up on. She kept insisting that I go out with this guy so I told here in the heat of the moment that I am dating someone. Few weeks after that we got a bit drunk on her birthday and I lost a bet so I had to tell her who it is that I'm supposedly dating. "

"And you thought about me Sakura-chan? You're too nice." Kakashi teased her a little.

She gave him a dirty look and continued with the explanation.

"You were on a long term mission so I thought it would be safe to say your name and that she will let it go by the time you're back."

"Wait a second!" Something dawned on him. "You told Ino... About us going out..." He smacked his forehead and let out a painful huff. "So the whole village knows about us being _togheter_?"

"Noooo no no no nooo no no." Sakura kept repeating and waving her hands. "She didn't tell a soul under the threat of me telling someone something. " She finished with a devilish smile.

He let out the a relieved sigh. _I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of Tsunade's wrath. Or Naruto's for that matter._

"She didn't believe me that we are dating so I said I will prove it to her. So I said we will go for a double date on the Tanabata festival as a proof." As she was saying the last two sentences her voice kept getting softer and more silent. Looking timid she kept glancing everywhere else but at him.

"I knew I couldn't keep the promise as you weren't suppose to be back for another 2 months." She said with her mouth pouting.

"So it's my fault that your lie caught up with you?" He asked with a smile.

She pouted a little more like a little child and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"So what's in it for me?"

She turned her head to Kakashi and that is when he realized he has fallen into a trap. She smiled and with a honey sweet tone said. "I will give you a three hour head start before I let anyone now you escaped from hospital. And as a bonus I will come check up on you only 3 times." She finished the sentence with a satisfied smile. She knew this was a great deal for the infamous you-won't-drag-me-back-to-hospital-only-with-a-kunai-under-my-neck.

Kakashi was looking all serious as if he was really thinking about it.

"Oh come on. You know it's a great deal. You won't get a better offer from anyone else here in the hospital. And if you won't agree to it, I will come and hunt you down and drag you back to the hospital myself." She finished with that little devilish smile of hers. He knew she was serious about the dragging back part. She did it on more than one occasion. She could be very persuasive if you are still injured and she was threatening you with a chakra laden fist or a kunai under your neck.

Kakashi swallowed hard.

"Ok. It's a date." He smiled and gave her an eye crinkle. She blushed a little and nodded her head.

"You should sleep a little before you go running. Ok? "

She didn't have to say it twice. He was already drifting back to sleep before she finished writing down his health status and left the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you everyone for your reviews and story alerts. I really didn't expect to see so many people interested in my story :) it makes me really happy that someone else likes it ^^

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Kakashi and Sakura were walking down the street to meet up with Ino and her current boyfriend. Sakura was trying to explain how the "break up" should go. Kakashi was listening only a little and was taking in the atmosphere of the festival. He would never admit it but he very much enjoyed festivals. One could forget about a lot of things when he was surrounded by happy smiling people walking about. But one could certainly not forget about the one person that was walking towards them.

As Sakura was trying to explain the break-up plan to Kakashi she noticed Ino walking towards them. That is when Kakashi suddenly grabbed her around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Sorry Sakura. Change of plans." Kakashi wispered in her ear.

"What.." before she could finnish her question Ino was in front of her with a victorious smile. She really didn't expect Sakura to come with Kakashi.

"Hi forehead." Ino smiled at them.

Sakura was almost ready to get herself together and answer Ino when a blur of colours, hair and cleavage ran into Kakashi and nearly tipped both of them over.

"Kashi-kuuun" screamed the materialized blur hanging on Kakashi. "I'm so happy that I ran here to you. I missed you. Were you avoiding me?" She got off him and pouted.

This is the first time Sakura got to see her face. She was really pretty. More like beautiful and gorgeous. She had the most blue eyes she ever saw and full ruby lips and black wavy hair. But the most outstanding part was her cleavage. She had a simple white and red yukata but the way she was wearing it showed more than it should and attracted many glimpses.

Kakashi pealed her hands off him and again pulled Sakura closer to him.

"Hello Kaori. Have you met my fiancée, Sakura?" Kakashi said with an eye crinkle but a very serious tone.

This is when gapped at them. Including Sakura. Her brain stopped working for few seconds that seemed to her like hours. _What did he just say? He can't be serious._

"What..?" was all Sakura could say before Kakashi stopped her.

"I know _pumpkin _you didn't want to tell anyone yet, but I was so overwhelmed by the moment that I just had to say it out loud."

"Pumpkin..?" Again Sakura didn't manage to complete her question before she was interrupted.

This time Kaori jumped at both of them and hugged the life out of them. When she stepped back she looked at Sakura with not so warm smile.

"Well Kashi-kun. What a surprise. Congratulations on your engagement to this fine _young girl._"

She put the slightest emphasis on the young girl part as she looked Sakura up and down.

"Kakashi...?" Was all Sakura could say. She couldn't put words into comprehensible sentence.

This must have been the first time that she became truly speechless.

Ino stood there. And gaped. And stood there. And opened her mouth to say something and than closed it when nothing came to mind. Then again opened her mouth and pointed at Sakura and looked at Kakashi. Than she pointed at Kakashi with her other hand and looked at Sakura. She kept switching her pointed fingers from one to another still unable to say anything.

With one little sentence Kakashi was able to render the most loudmouth women in Konoha speechless.

"What the hell forehead?" Ino finally got out.

"Well... ah... you see.. I.. we... he..." Sakura tried to answer. She was trying to catch Kakashi's gaze and somehow make him explain what the hell is going on. But no such luck. He was smiling deftly and scratching his head and making sure he didn't look her in the eye.

"Well why don't we go and enjoy the festival? Will your date catch up to us? Or should we wait?" Kakashi chimed in to stop Sakura from ruining his not so well thought out plan.

_I'm so dead._ Kakashi thought as he was trying to find a way how to get out of this situation.

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Let me know what you think so please review. You don't have to, but it would be nice to know what you think about this story so far :)

Anyway thank you for reading ^^


	4. Chapter 4

Hi there. So this is the longest chapter yet. I just want to thank you all for reading this story. It's amazing how many hits it got and visitors (575). So keep reading and I will keep writing :)

Enjoy!

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They didn't even know how but they ended up in a small restaurant near the main street waiting for their ordered food. They were all sitting in one booth and looking at each other. Still no one was able to put a thought into words and Sakura didn't want to risk Ino getting her voice back.

"I have to go to the toilet." Sakura abruptly stood up almost spilling her drink. When she saw the surprise in everyone's faces she put a smile on her face and turned to Kakashi who was sitting next to her and still avoiding her eyes.

"Would you please escort me, _darling?_" Asked Sakura. She is going to _try_ to just talk to him and not kill him. She kept telling herself and repeating it like a mantra. _No killing, just talking. No killing, killing bad, talking good._

"Oh, I hope he isn't in trouble? I swear we were not together since he left for the mission the other day." Said Kaori with a remarkably fake smile.

_What the hell is her deal? _Sakura thought and was about to ask her when Kakashi quickly stood up and took Sakura's elbow and practically dragged her away from the table.

"What the hell Kakashi?" Asked Sakura angrily while trying not to punch him into oblivion.

"I can explain, just don't kill me yet."

"You have 10 seconds ." Gritted Sakura through her teeth.

"Well ... you know.. I went to the grocery shop where I met an old lady..."

"Six seconds left Kakashi!"

"Ok it wasn't a grocery shop. It was near that bridge.." Sakura glared at him.

"Three seconds." Said Sakura and made a fist with her hand. Kakashi backed into the wall at the sight of her whitening knuckles.

"Ok, ok. Just don't scar my pretty face Sakura-chan." He turned his face and waited for her punch.

"You're willing to die rather then tell me what is going on, and who is that Kaori person?"

"Nope. I'd rather die then to spend another night with that Kaori person. I know you won't kill me but it will be severe enough to get me to the hospital. There she won't be able to come near me." A proud smile could be seen on his face over his good plan.

"I swear that Naruto's stupidity is rubbing off on you." Sakura said and touched her head. She was starting to get a headache.

"Why do you want to run from that woman so badly?"

"Run? Who said anything about running?" _OK I really sound pathetic,_ Kakashi thought.

"I have to get rid of her. She is worse than a leech combined with a persistent cold and constant back pain. We met few months ago. It was just one night but she must have got it wrong or something. Since then I can't get rid of her, she is everywhere I move. That's why I asked for the long term mission. I hoped she would forget about me and leave me alone."

"So you thought a fake engagement with me might get her off your back? Are you insane!"

"Well it was the first thing that came to my mind ,_ pumpkin_." He said with a smile while scratching his head deftly.

"Call me that one more time and I'll.." Sakura was once again interrupted before she could finish. This time it wasn't anyone talking or hugging. This time it was Kakashi. Better said Kakashi's body pressed to hers. Her back against the wall and his masked lips pressing onto hers. Her eyes were wide with surprise. She tried to push him off but failed miserably as a jolt of pleasure set between her legs. _What the hell is wrong with me? _Before she could continue the train of thought Kakashi pulled away from her. She let out a small whimper before she could stop herself. It was quiet enough so she hoped Kakashi didn't hear it. She noticed that Kakashi was talking to someone.

"We were on our way." Kakashi said to Kaori as she went to the toilet. When the doors closed behind her Kakashi's head came closer to her face again. She closed her eyes and waited for another masked kiss, but it didn't come. Instead he whispered in her ear.

"Help me get rid of Kaori and I will owe you one."

"A really, really big one." Sakura said.

"Don't worry it's not that big." Kakashi said with a mischievous wink.

"Pervet!" She said and elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ouch. That was just a joke. But I wasn't the one whimpering." He said with a painful huff while bent and holding the place of impact but still managing to have smug smile on his face.

Sakura blushed furiously and just turned quickly around.

"You wish. Haha-ha" Sakura let out a nervous laugh trying to hide her embarrassment. _Oh god he heard me whimpering like a schoolgirl over a kiss. I'm so pathetic. I knew this was a bad idea. I should have just told Ino the truth, but guess it's too late now._

" Let's get back to the table. And let's hope Tsunade doesn't hear about it." Sakura said and walked to the table followed by slightly wincing Kakashi. As they were sitting down Sakura whispered to Kakashi.

"If we get through tonight I might heal that cracked rib." she said with a placid smile.

"It' about time you got back. Soooooo. How did this happen?" Said Ino with one breath and stared at them with her big blue eyes while smiling like a maniac. _She is so going to enjoy spreading the gossip about this. _

Sakura smiled and padded Kakashi on his knee. "Why don't you tell her, _honey. _I know how much you like telling stories." _He so deserves to explain this._

"Did I miss anything?" Said Kaori as she sat down opposite of Kakashi and smiled at him.

"No, you didn't. Kakashi was about to tell our story." Happily exclaimed Sakura.

"Well... ehm.. it was like.. was it in autumn pum... eh.. _darling_?" Kakashi turned to her with a pleading face. No such thing as help awaited him there. He was playing into her cards. Sakura smiled inwardly.

"Don't tell me you don't remember?" Sakura said with a fake hurt in her voice and puppy eyes.

He was saved once again. The waitress came with the ordered food and asked them if they wanted anything else to drink. The ordered food was brought on many smaller plates and was a wide variety of meat, vegetables, fruits and side dishes.

"Oh look at the food. And here is my miso soup. Let's eat." Kakashi said and grabbed a small bowl of miso soup and started to fill his other plate with all sorts of food and tried to look as busy as he could.

"By the way Ino. What about your date?" Sakura asked when she remembered that Ino didn't answer Kakashi's question from before.

"Oh, you know. I kind of broke up with him."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Why didn't you say sooner? We didn't have to go out tonight." Sakura said and touched Ino's hand.

"And miss out on all of this?" Ino smiled and pulled her arm away from Sakura's.

"And besides he wasn't the right one or anything. He didn't really get me being a civilian and all, and he was boring as hell. The only thing good about him was his looks." Ino smiled and started to put variety of food on her plate.

"I'm still sorry Ino."

"Don't be. I'm really fine forehead."

Sakura knew she was hurt. Not really by the break-up but the reasons behind it. _Seams she is starting to realize how deep her feelings were for certain someone. _Sakura thought as she started to fill her plate as well. That is when she felt someone's foot rubbing hers. At first she thought it was Kakashi, but one look at Kaori made her think different. She was trying to get Kakashi's attention and it looked like her cleavage got even lower._ Kakashi wasn't kidding. She is _really _trying to get to him._

"Did you lose your shoe Kaori?" Sakura asked smiling innocently at her.

"Oh, no. I just had a bug running up my leg so I was trying to get rid off it." Kaori smiled back and moved her leg away from her.

"What.." She was really getting on her nerve. Did she just call her a bug? That's quite enough from someone like her. She was about to speak her mind quite openly but Kakashi noticed she was about to say something so he grabbed the first food he could and stuck it in Sakura's open mouth.

"Here you go _honey_. I know how much you like these."

As soon as Sakura had it in her mouth she started to turn red. She swallowed it as fast as she could and grabbed a glass of water and poured it right into her mouth. After she drank all her water she let out of her mouth something that looked a lot like smoke.

She turned her head to Kakashi. He knew he was in trouble as soon as she smiled at him.

"Thank you darling for that _lovely _spicy beef. Why don't you have some tempura?" She grabbed few tempura pieces from the plates and put it on Kakashi's.

She looked at him waiting for him to eat it. She knew he hated fried food.

He gulped when he realized there was no way he is going to get out of this one. He ate all of it that she put on his plate as fast as he could so he didn't have to taste it too much. He really didn't like fried food. _Two can play this game pumpkin._

"_Honey_, here you go. You overlooked your favorite kimchi." He smiled and put the spicy cabbage on his chopsticks and waited for her to open her mouth so he could feed her.

She smiled at him and he could see her eye slightly twitching in the corner.

She opened her mouth and warily put the kimchi in her mouth. She swallowed fast as not to have the spicy thing in her mouth for long and started to look for a glass of water. She took Kakashi's as hers was already empty. _He is going to pay. Revenge _is_ sweet._ She smiled as she looked at the one specific plate. It was full of fried, sweet bananas. He hated fried food almost as much as sweets.

"Oh look _darling._ It's your favorite desert. Have some before it's gone."

She took the whole plate and put it in front of him. He was about to be forced to eat it when someone unexpected walked into the restaurant.

Kakashi dropped the fried banana piece from his chopsticks.

"Ayako?"

"Oh Kakashi-kun. Here you are. I missed you." She exclaimed and launched herself at Kakashi.

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Sooooooo I hope you liked it. Please let me know what you liked or didn't like or just tell me it's nice weather outside :) but please Review.

Don't be lazy. I know it's a lot of clicking and typing but try ;) it really helps me to know if you like it or not.

Thanks ^^


	5. Chapter 5

Hello everyone. Here is the next update. Let me know if you like it or not ^^

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"Just how many Kakashi's ex's are going to show up?" Ino asked Sakura behind her hand with a disapproving look. Sakura just shrugged her shoulders.

"Ayako? What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked and hugged her back.

"I was actually looking for you. I need you Kakashi." She looked at him with a pleading look and tears almost falling down from her eyes.

Sakura pushed away the need to roll her eyes. _How I hate hysterical women. Just get a grip and don't make a scene everywhere you go. _Instead she just smiled and moved a little to the side to make space for yet another of Kakashi's women. _But really why are all these women around Kakashi?_

"So you met on a mission?" Asked Sakura curious as to who this woman is.

"Oh, sorry. Let me introduce you. Ayako this is Ino and Kaori." He pointed at both and then he moved to introduce Sakura. He slightly hesitated when thinking of how to introduce her. "And this is Sakura."

"His fiancee." Kaori chimed in with explanation. At that moment Kakashi froze a little but then smiled and deftly scratched his head.

"Yes, my fiancee." He repeated and stayed silent. _This is proving to be a night from hell. What is she doing here? _Before he could ask Sakura asked.

"So Ayako? Why were you looking for Kakashi?"

"I need help. I already talked to your Hokage. She told me to give you this when I find you. I was waiting for you at your house but you don't seem to come there too often. So I went here to get something to eat." She handed Kakashi a scroll with Hokage's insignia on it. It was a mission scroll.

"Should I read, or will you tell me what is going on?"

"Well you know I own a Ryokan near the west borders and few months ago we started to have problems. It need's to be solved or I will loose all customers." She dried a tear with her sleeve.

"And what is the problem? Bandits?" Sakura asked.

"Oh no. Nothing like that. The paths are quite safe and bandits are a rarity. This is quite different. That is why I waited so long to get help. It seems there are... hm.. ghosts."

There was a minute long silence. No one knew what to say.

"I know it sounds ridiculous. But there are strange things happening and people are scared to come there. Please Kakashi. I already tried monks of different religions but nothing seems to help."

"Ok." He opened the scroll and quickly skimmed it through. It was ranked C. He had one week time and should leave tomorrow morning. The pay wasn't much but considering the circumstances.

"I know the pay it isn't much but you can stay for free at the Ryoukan and enjoy the onsen and of course all the food is free. "

"Oh isn't that great? I was planing to visit my relatives that live near the border for a longer time but I was afraid to travel alone. This is a great opportunity that I could travel with such a skilled shinobi as Kashi-kun." Kaori smiled and winked at Kakashi.

"Of course you're friends are also welcome to stay." Ayako smiled at Kaori.

If people could see Kakashi's face they would see the horror carved into his face at the outlook of traveling with Kaori to Ayako's place.

"Well isn't that nice, honey? We can stay at Ayako's Ryoukan." He smiled and took Sakura's hand in his but didn't dare to look her way. _Just smile and don't look her way. She won't kill me in front of everyone. Not in a public place._ His eyes almost popped out when he felt Sakura's hand squeezing his more than it was bearable. He heard a little crack. _I should remember not to hold Sakura's hand when I piss her off_.

He managed to pry his hand out of her grasp and put his hand around her shoulders.

"Of course you can come with your fiancee too."

"Oh, no. I don't want to be a bother. And besides I have work. In the hospital. Where I work. As a medic." Sakura tried to get out of this week long game of pretend engagement.

"But didn't you take a week off?" Ino asked unknowingly crushing Sakura's hope of getting out of this.

Sakura's eye started to twitch a little again. "Oh yes. That's true. But... hm.. Didn't we make plans already, _darling_?"

"But I have a mission, pump..eh.. _honey. _So we will have to do that another time anyway, won't we? I know you were looking forward to it but orders are orders." Kakashi waved the mission scroll in front of Sakura hoping she won't kill him just yet.

_I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him. Or just torture. Yeah, I like torture. Killing is so final, but torture can last for a very, very long time. _Sakura kept thinking of ways how to torture Kakashi for this night from hell and as it seams even a week of hell on a mission. _And I was so looking to my movies. I had it all planed. Go training a bit everyday in the morning, have a shower, watch one or two chick flicks and maybe go out in the evening or just stay in and watch another one._ _Finally clean the apartment and finish the medical study I was working on. _She had plans and now Kakashi was stomping all over them and dragging her to some woman's ryuokan.

She started to feel resigned to her fate and Kakashi's whims. She was tired and started to get a really bad headache and just hoping she will be able to get to bed as soon as she can.

"Ah too bad I have work. I really would like to go with you forehead." Whined a little Ino but Sakura was relieved Ino wasn't... _Oh no. Ino isn't coming. That means she will stay. And she will talk. Talk to people about me and Kakashi. We are so doomed._

"So? When do we leave?" Asked Ayako severing Sakura's train of thoughts.

"We should leave in the morning." Kakashi mused and started to think how much ground will they be able to cover in one day with two civilians.

The waitress came and handed them the bill for their food. Sakura was surprised when Kakashi took out his wallet and paid part of the bill. His and hers. _Probably just trying to lessen his upcoming beating. _Sakura thought as they were going out of the restaurant. They started to walk around the main street led by Kakashi who was holding Sakura by the small of her back. Soon they were all standing in front of Kakashi's house. Ino bid them farewell and Sakura had to promise her that she will tell her all about their trip and about their engagement when they get back. After that Kaori excused herself to go and pack for tomorrows trip that she invited herself to.

Sakura, Kakashi and Ayako were standing in front of the doors to Kakashi's house and were looking at each other not sure what to do. Ayako kept looking at Kakashi as if waiting for something. Sakura was looking at Ayako waiting for her to leave so she could beat Kakashi to death and then revive him and then kill him again. Kakashi was just standing there looking from Sakura to Ayako and back not sure what to do.

"Ehm." He cleared his throat. At this Ayako finally reacted and moved to open the door to Kakashi's house. She stopped with her hand on the door knob.

"I hope you don't mind but I put my things in your house. You should probably lock your doors. They were open when I came so I let my self in and waited for you." At this she just went in.

"Your just going to let her stay?" Sakura asked surprised that Kakashi would just let in his ex-girlfriend when he is supposed to be engaged to her.

"Yes I am. Why is that strange? Just come in for a second. We need to talk."

"Why is that strange? You're letting your ex-girlfriend stay at your house while you're trying to pretend that you are engaged? Isn't that a bit uncommon?"

Kakashi looked surprised and then started to chuckle.

"Ayako is not my ex. She is my cousin."

Sakura wasn't able to ask anything else because Ayako got back out wondering why they were still standing outside.

When the doors closed behind them Kakashi went to explain Ayako where is what and in which room she can stay. Sakura went to Kakashi's bedroom and waited there for him. She was looking around the room searching for instruments she could use for torture once Kakashi got back. When he came in and closed the door he put up his hands in an attempt to make peace and probably block flying objects that might be thrown his way.

"I'm waiting."

Kakashi clapped his hands together and bend forward at his waist.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"You really expect me to go with you?"

"And why not? You heard her. Food, room and onsen for free. You have free next week so why not enjoy it in a nice ryokan?"

"Haunted ryokan with Kaori trying to get in your pants all the time. And besides I already made plans."

"What plans?"

Sakura blushed remembering her little secret. "That's none of your business."

"Pretty please Sakura-chan? Don't make me beg. If you'll go I'll even give you half of my pay for the mission."

"All of it and you will owe me another favor." Sakura entered bargaining mode that she acquired while working with Tsunade. She would have to do all the work if she didn't learn fast how to haggle with her.

"Deal!" Kakashi held out his arm to shake on it with Sakura.

"Don't think that I'm alright with this. I'm still pissed at you for dragging me into this insane charade."

"I'll keep that in mind. " Kakashi said with his famous eye crinkle in place and scratched the back of his head.

"I need to go get some supplies and pack my stuff. I'll come and get you in the morning so you're not late." With this Sakura jumped out of his window.

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Hope to see your reviews soon ;)

Little explanation:

Ryokan - is a type of traditional japanesse inn that originated in the Edo period (1603–1868), when such inns served travelers along Japan's highways. They typically feature _tatami_-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear yukata and talk with the owner.

Onsen - is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs.

Source wikipedia ;)

If there is something else you don't understand and I forgot to mention please let me know :)


	6. Chapter 6

So here is the next chapter. Let me thank all of you who reviewed. It makes me so happy when I see a new one, it makes me want to write more :)

Btw I'm starting to get lost between "than" and "then" so sorry if there is a mistake ^^ just let me know and I'll correct it ;)

Enjoy!

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The sun was slowly getting up to the sky and light was spreading throughout Konoha. Sakura was already up and checking her apartment for the last time to make sure she didn't forget anything as well as her backpack. She wrote a note to her neighbor to let him know she will be out for one week and to ask him to water her plants. He was a nice old widower who was happy to take care of her apartment when she was on missions. She would even find fresh food in her fridge when she came back.

She closed her door and slipped the note under the neighbors door. As she went through the quiet morning streets of Konoha she was thinking of what to expect on this mission of sorts. She had to acknowledge that it might be more exciting than staying at home alone to watch movies. On the other hand she had to pretend she was engaged to Kakashi for one week. She didn't see too much of him since her jounin exams when she was nineteen. That was three years ago. Since then he was most of the time on missions and when he got back he would come to see her only when he needed her to treat his injuries because he didn't bother to go to the hospital. They would meet for drinks once in a while when she was out with friends but that was mostly coincidental. He would have one drink with them and then leave and sit with his friends.

She couldn't remember the last time they went for a mission. He usually took the long term missions or partly work with the ANBU and as Sakura was needed at the hospital Tsunade forbid her to take longer missions than 2 weeks. She was a bit furious at first but she knew there was a lot of work to be done at the hospital and with the new medic-nin recruits there was little time for missions.

She jumped in through Kakashi's window and set her pack next to it. He was still sleeping as expected of him. He lay sprawled in his bed laying on his back. He wore black pants and his mask attached to his dark grey undershirt. His hair was a mess as always and his forehead protector was missing. Sakura smiled mischievously. She could feel the victory near. Naruto will have to pay a lot of money when she will find what is under Kakashi's mask first. She silently came to his bed and crawled quietly on the bed to Kakashi's face. She stretched her hand and it was trembling with anticipation. All those years of waiting and longing to see the great secret that is hidden under this small piece of fabric. She couldn't help but smile like a madman. As she was about to tug at the fabric Kakashi started to mumble something and turned on his side taking Sakura with him. His hand pushed her to the bed so she couldn't move properly. She turned around turning her back at him trying to escape his bed before he wakes up. That was a mistake. As soon as she turned her back to him he pulled her to him spooning her effectively. He buried his nose into her neck and started to mumble something again. She tried to pry his hands off her stomach so she could move away from the bed but his grip was tight.

"What were you doing?" Kakashi whispered in her ear.

Sakura froze instantly trying to figure out what to say that would explain her being in his bed.

"Waking you up. What else?"

"Do you always wake people up with that insane grin?" Kakashi said with a chuckle still nuzzled in her neck.

"No. I save that only for you. Now let me go." Sakura started to struggle against his grip. He let her go and she stood up quickly. She started to adjust her small black shorts with pockets in the back and front. The right back pocket was were she held her black gloves that she used while fighting. She had a red belt that was holding her shorts in place as well as her small medical bag that she had in case of emergency on her left side. The rest of her medical supplies was packed in her backpack. Bandages on her right leg held a pouch of kunai and shuriken ready to be used in case of an attack. Wearing high black boots. Black tank top was tucked into her shorts and on top of it she had a small red bolero that ended where her breasts start leaving exposed small cleavage.

"By the way you're too early. Come back in two hours." Kakashi said as he turned his back at her and went back to sleep.

"No I'm not. Get out of the bed."

"Make me."

He heard her move and then he heard a noise of a lighter. His eyes opened when he realized that she moved to his bookshelf.

"You wouldn't." He saw her standing near his books and holding the first Icha Icha signed by Jiraya himself. She was holding it very near the lighter and with a smirk on her face.

"Try me."

Within five seconds Kakashi was out of the bed and in his bathroom. As the doors closed behind him Sakura closed the lighter and put it back to her pocket.

"So predictable." she mumbled quietly and started to skim through the book she was holding. As she was reading she didn't hear that Kakashi came back to the room.

"Like what you're reading?"

She closed the book with a small blush on her cheeks. The blush grew a bit bigger when she saw Kakashi only with a towel around his waist and a mask on his face. He came closer, drops of water dripping from his wet hair. As he was standing in front of her he reached out with his hand.

Sakura thought he is going to touch her any second. Instead his hand didn't stop on her body but reached behind her and produced a shirt that was lying on top of the wardrobe that was standing behind her.

He chuckled a little when he heard Sakura release her breath that she didn't even know she was holding.

"Or do you like what you see." Smile was visible in his eyes.

"In you're dreams. I'll wait for you in the kitchen. Be ready in 20 minutes or else..." She waved the book she was still holding in front of his face.

Before she left he started to put his shirt on. He winced a little. That's when she noticed the bruise on his ribs that she made yesterday. She came closer and put her hand on that spot and started to heal it.

Kakashi looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"It would be troublesome if you're injured on a mission." Sakura explained. "I'm not healing it because I've forgiven you."

"You started it." He pouted a little trying to hold back laughter as he felt the tingling in place where Sakura was holding her hand.

"And you were supposed to end it." With that she left the room waving the book in the air to remind him that he should hurry.

She went to the kitchen and made herself a coffee. She sat down in his living room and started to drink her coffee. She looked around and was listening for signs of Ayako being up but as she didn't hear anything she took the book and started to read where she left off. She had to admit it wasn't as bad as she expected. It even seemed it had a story in between the sex scenes. As she was reading she realized she liked it too much. She could feel pleasurable tingling between her legs as she imagined the scenes she was reading. She closed her eyes for a second and bit her bottom lip. She heard footsteps so she closed the book and put it next to her.

"Will I get any?" Kakashi asked as he entered the living room.

"Huh?" Sakura asked confused as to what he was asking for.

"You know I have a good smell." Kakashi tapped his nose and smiled.

_Could he really smell me? He couldn't. Or could his his smell be that good? No that's not possible._

Sakura blushed and before she could say anything Kakashi answered her 'huh'.

"Coffee? Will you make me some or are you going back to reading?"

"I-I'll make some. You should probably go check on Ayako. We should be leaving in 40 minutes."

She quickly stood up and left for kitchen but remembered the book. Kakashi was about to reach for the book but Sakura was faster.

"I'll keep this just in case."

"Sure, sure. Just in case." He winked at her and went to get Ayako.

After short breakfast and another coffee they were ready to depart. As Sakura went back to Kakashi's room to get her backpack she saw that another book was missing from the bookshelf.

_Of course he would take one with him._

As they were nearing the gates of Konoha he could see Kaori standing already there and waiting for them. She smiled brightly when she saw Kakashi. He reached for Sakura's hand quickly as if this would make her go away. Sakura just looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

Kaori greeted them, well more Kakashi than anyone else.

"So, are we ready to go?" Asked Ayako.

Kakashi was about to say yes when he heard someone running their way.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to wait for the first shift to give them some instructions." Ino said as she ajusted her backpack that shifted while she was running.

"Now we are ready to go." Sakura smiled and took the first step out of the Konoha gates.

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How did you like it? Tell me please. Don't make me beg for reviews :)

If you want to know how is Sakura dressed just look it up in google images "love me Sakura". The difference is in longer tank top and that mesh thingy she has on in the picture is similar as the bolero I described. So that's about how I imagine her. Oh and if you were a bit lazy to count she is about 22 in this fanfic.

So don't forget to let me know what you liked or didn't like.


	7. Chapter 7

New chapter for my readers so enjoy! And remember the story is rated M for a reason!

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The group was walking already two hours but didn't cover much ground. Kakashi wasn't too happy about it. They need to speed up if they want to get there in two days. He was lost in thought when Sakura came to walk beside him in the front of their small group. Ino was happily chatting with the other two behind them. They were walking in silence for a bit when Kakashi turned to Sakura with a question.

"So how come Ino is going with us?"

"Did you really think I would let her stay in Konoha spreading news about our engagement? I went out to her and made the arangements in the hospital. And you can thank me later for saving your butt from Tsunade-shisho. "

Kakashi shuddered a bit at the image of Tsunade pounding him to death with her fists.

"You o.k.? You seem kind of pale." Sakura asked with a worry in her voice.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just some bad... memories." He shook his head a little to get Tsunade's flaring nostrils out of his head.

They walked again in silence for a while.

"So Ayako is your cousin? I don't mean to be nosy, but you never talked about your family."

"No, I didn't." Replied Kakashi and stayed silent. Sakura thought that was the end of the conversation when she heard him inhale loudly and then he started talking.

"Few months before my mother died we went to see her sister, Ayako's mother. We went there for her funeral. I don't remember much from that trip, just Ayako crying and holding my hand at the funeral. She was about three years old and kept asking when is her mother going to come back. She stayed living there at the ryokan with her father and his mother. He died few years later as I heard. We didn't keep in touch too much. Since than we saw each other twice."

Sakura had to say she was more then curious. Kakashi never talked about his family or his past for that matter. She knew, of course not from him, about his father but only what the people say. This was something new to hear him talking so openly.

"Is she the only family you have?"

"As far as I know, yes."

"You don't look too much alike."

"Our mothers were twins. She looks a lot like her."

Sakura looked back at Ayako curious as to how Kakashi's mother looked like.

She was very pretty. Her long dark brown hair was falling over her left shoulder in a low ponytail. She had a nice small straight nose and small dimples when she smiled. Her eyes were a yellowish brown and seemed almost cat-like. She wondered if there were any features Kakashi had from his mother.

Kakashi stopped and waited for the rest to catch up.

"Let's make a short break. We should hurry a bit afterwards or else we will have to camp in the woods."

As they sat on a fallen down tree using it as a makeshift bench. Kaori was waving her lashes and smiles at Kakashi every chance she had.

Sakura was starting to get really annoyed. If she was really Kakashi's future bride she would already wipe that flirty smile off her face. She snorted quietly and picked up her backpack.

"I'm going ahead. Just want to stretch a bit." With that Sakura ran up the nearest tree and started running in the tree branches, jumping from one to another. After 30 minutes she covered almost half of what they traveled until now and she wasn't even really going fast. She jumped down and looked for a nice place to wait for them. She saw a big stone covered in moss. The sun was shining straight at it and she had a good view of the path they needed to take so she would see them coming.

As she sat down on the rock she took one of her medical books out and started reading. After few minutes she looked around making sure no one was nearby that could see her. With that she took out Kakashi 's book out from her backpack. She looked around again to really make sure no one was there. She opened it where she left off. The main character was about to seduce villager's virgin daughter that he saved from a perverted nobleman. For being a virgin she was quite outgoing and seemed a bit too experienced. The scene was quite vividly described and Sakura started to feel the familiar tinge in her lower abdomen and between her legs. She pushed her legs tightly together to ease the need she felt. She closed the book quickly as she heard voices not too far away and because if she continued to read she would be too aroused to walk in a straight line. She took few deep breaths to get the images out of her head. _How can he walk around with that book and not have a boner every five minutes? _

When they came closer she waited for them by the side of the road.

"Did you have a nice _stretch_?" Asked Kakashi and Sakura thought he stressed a bit the word stretch but that might be just her imagination. A small blush went to her cheeks when she thought back at the scene she was reading just few minutes ago.

"Yes I did." Sakura smiled a bit dreamily when she promised herself a nice hot shower when they got to the inn.

Rest of the day was uneventful and they reached the inn just as the sun was about to set down. They put down their backpack in their rooms and met for a quick dinner. Ayako and Kaori were tired and went to bed right after they finished their dinner and Ino excused herself few minutes after.

Sakura and Kakashi went to their shared room after Sakura finished her tea. After the door closed behind them Sakura looked closely around the room. It was nice and clean but there was only one big bed and a small bathroom. Kakashi went to bed and laid down on the bed to Sakura's surprise.

"Don't worry I'll sleep on the floor Sakura-chan." Sakura said while trying to sound like Kakashi.

"No Kakashi. Don't be silly. Of course you can sleep on the bed with me." Sakura said with her normal voice only sounding a bit more girly.

"Are you sure?" Asked Sakura in her pretend conversation in a more manlier voice.

"Of course. I'm sure. I'm a big girl." Sakura finished her pretend conversation with a fake smile.

Now it was Kakashi's turn.

"Kakashi-kun, please sleep with me in this bed. I would love your manly heat next to me in this cold and lonely night." Kakashi said with an overly dramatic girl voice.

"Yes, yes very funny. Could you at least put your boots down from the bed? I'll take a shower."

Kakashi put his feet down from the bed and by the time Sakura went into the bathroom he had his book in his hand. That reminded Sakura to take it with her so she wouldn't loose her advantage.

She stripped down from her clothes and entered the shower. Hot water was pouring down on her body and Sakura sighed as she felt her muscles relax. She closed her eyes and let the water drip on her face and body. As she had her eyes closed she remembered the scene from the book and it played quite vividly in her mind. She groaned a little with frustration. _Oh for goodness sake I have to get rid of this or else I will have to hump someone's brains out and as Kakashi is the only one available here it probably wouldn't be the best idea._

Sakura looked around as if someone might be standing near the shower. She made sure no one was watching. She turned her back to the cold tiles of the shower and moved her soaped hands around her body. Her nipples were already hard and waiting for someone to pinch them. She fondled her breast with one hand and moved her other hand between her legs. Her trimmed pubic hair was lightly scratching her on her finger that moved on top of her sensitive pearl. She bit her bottom lip to stifle a moan that was trying to escape her lips. She hoped that the noise from the shower will drown all the noise she will make while pleasuring herself. She slipped one finger between her folds and pushed it inside and after few strokes included another one. She expertly made herself come within another few strokes. Her knees wobbled a little at the sensation of her release and she let out a small pleasured scream that she forgot to stifle. She put her hand to her mouth looking at the door to the bathroom and hoping he didn't hear it.

It was a long 8 months since she lost her fuck-buddy when Kiba decided to get into a committed relationship with some civilian girl, whatever that meant. It was their little secret and Kiba knew better than to talk about them with any one. Since then she had to take care of this herself and she didn't have much time or mood for that matter.

She finished cleaning and went out of the shower to dry. She put one towel on her wet hair and dried her body with the other one. Even though she had her release she didn't feel too relaxed. She missed a man's touch and this little play in the bathroom made it a bit worse. When she dried she put on her sleeping shirt and man shorts she used for sleeping. They were Kiba's but she stole them from him as they were comfy to sleep in. She quickly brushed her hair and went into the room. Kakashi was already out of his boots and jounin vest still reading his book.

"Did you have a nice shower?" He asked with a smile in his voice. "I'm just asking because you were there for almost 45 minutes."

"Yes I did. I might have used most of the hot water so I would hurry up if I were you." Said Sakura with turned back to him so he wouldn't see her blushing trying to look busy looking for something in her bag._ I shouldn't have done that. He must have heard me._

"You're so considerate Sakura-chan." With that he got up and went into the shower.

When she heard the door close she lied down on the bed and opened the book where she left off. She new it's not the best idea but she was curious as what will happen next. _Besides I'll hear when he comes out of the shower._

_

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_

So once again a little, small and tiny cliffy. I decided to divide it into two chapters so you don't have to wait that long for an update so enjoy what you get ;)

Please don't forget to review ;)


	8. Chapter 8

Dear readers, let me present to you the next chapter. Ok my new problem is with "lie" and "lay" and "lied" :D so again sorry if I didn't get it right somewhere.

Again a little warning. This story is rated M for a reason :)

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When Kakashi entered the bathroom he could still smell Sakura's arousal. He smiled as he started to get out of his clothes. His ex-student changed a lot during the last few years. Secretly reading Icha Icha, having sex with herself in the bathroom with him in the other room. Sakura he knew wouldn't be so brave to do something like that._ When did she become this adult woman?_ And a woman she was. He almost chocked a little when he saw her in her small black shorts and tank top. It was quite different to the red shirt and longer shorts she wore the last time he went with her on a mission. And why is she sleeping in someone's shorts? Does she have a boyfriend he doesn't know about? She said she doesn't have one. That's partially why they were in this situation.

As he went into the shower he could smell Sakura's scent. He closed his eyes and willed himself not to get aroused. She use to be his student. He shouldn't be attracted to her but she is making it hard for him to ignore her especially when she does this in the shower. She probably didn't know that he can hear her and smell her but still it was sexy as hell to hear her moaning to herself in the shower.

He turned the water to cold to fight off the thoughts he started to have. This night might be long if he doesn't get rid of this. Well on the other hand it could be fun with her but she might get too attached and that might be trouble. Given his previous experience, meaning Kaori, he had enough_ "_attached" women until the end of his life. He shuddered a little at the memory of Kaori chasing after him all the way here and maybe from the cold water that was running down his body.

He turned off the shower and stepped out to dry himself. He looked around but only found two wet towels. _You're sooooo considerate Sakura-chan. _He took the least wet towel and tried to dry himself. He put on his black boxer shorts and dark grey undershirt with his mask attached to it. As he went out of the bathroom he noticed Sakura was sound asleep. Now was his chance to get his kidnaped book back as she fell asleep while reading it. He took the book in his hand and pulled but it didn't budge. Sakura had a death grip on that book even in her sleep. He tried pulling it few more times. He crouched beside her and scratched his cheek while trying to figure out how to get it from her without tearing it. He gave up not willing to risk ruining the precious Icha Icha, first edition with author's signature.

She was laying on top of the blanket so he picked up her legs and pulled it from under her to cover her for the night. As he was putting her legs back on the bed his hand stayed a bit longer on her knee and as he was pulling the covers over her body he let the back of his fingers trail on the soft skin of her legs. She let out a small whimpering sound at the touch of his fingers. Kakashi smiled a little when he heard that. _I'm an old perverted man aren't I?_ Kakashi asked himself as he shook his head a little at the thoughts he started to have about his ex-student. He turned the light off and went to bed and turned his back to Sakura in a vain attempt to pretend that she is not there and drifted to sleep.

Sakura woke up during the night and tried to remember when did she fall asleep. She was so tired from yesterday night. She didn't sleep much as she went to secure the switch of Ino's shifts so she could go with them. She noticed she still had the book in her hand. She sleepily put it under her pillow and nestled against the comfortable heat that was behind her. She pushed a bit more back when a low voice whispered in her ear.

"Stop wiggling your behind, Sakura."

Shiver run across her spine at the sound of his voice. She arched a bit unconsciously and therefore pushed her behind a bit more into Kakashi. He growled and pushed his head into her shoulder and tried to push her a bit away with his hand on her side. As he touched her she let out a small moan and she pushed her knees together as she remember the dream that has awoken her. It was one of the scenes from that book and it stopped right before she reached her orgasm.

Kakashi has partly woken up right before Sakura had moved closer to him. He could smell her arousal and it made him hard almost instantly._ Why is she doing this to me when I'm trying to be a gentleman and nice and good and not so damn attracted to her. _That's when Sakura pushed more into him and now she was pushing her knees together and moaning sensually. _Who in his right mind can resist this?_

He bit her shoulder through his mask and moved his hand to her stomach and pushed her more into him. She welcomed this with a loud sigh. She bit her lip and touched his hand on her stomach and moved it more up to her breast.

"Sakura." Kakashi tried to say it in his teacher voice to make her stop and to stop himself but it went out with a throaty moan when he felt her hard nipple under his fingers.

Sakura moved her hand between her legs and under her shorts not able to resist the need to reach her orgasm from her unfinished dream. When she felt wet kisses on her neck and nimble fingers playing with her nipples she wasn't able to resist a loud moan. She pushed her fingers inside her wet core and pushed her breast more into the hand that was helping her reach what she longed for.

"Sakura." Kakashi tried for the last time to stop what was happening but his heart wasn't in his words or his actions as he could smell and hear her wetness as she was pleasuring herself with his help. He felt her tremble against him and he knew she was near her release. He moved his hand under her shirt to touch her breasts directly. Her smooth, hot skin shivered as he run his hand up her stomach and to her round firm breasts. As he pinched her nipple and sucked her earlobe he knew she was about to come. He moved his hand down to her hand that was between her legs and pushed her into his hard throbbing member.

Sakura let out a throaty "A-aahh." as she reached her climax. Her fast breathing calming as she came down from her peak and smile on her lips.

"Sakura?" Kakashi said not really sure what he wanted to ask. Sakura stopped all her movement and seemed to be falling asleep. She let out a small "Hmm?" and grabbed the blanket and tucked it right under her chin.

"Unbelievable." Kakashi said under his nose as he turned on his back realizing that he wont get any tonight. He pulled his mask up as he stood up and went to the bathroom. As he closed the door he could swear he heard her chuckle.

He went to the sink and splashed cold water in his face. He rested his hands on both sides of the sink and looked at himself in the mirror. _What did just happen? _He looked down at his throbbing erection but refused to do anything about it. He willed it away and drank some water after splashing some more water on his face. He went back to bed and knew it will take few hours until he will be able to fall back asleep.

Sakura woke up in the morning feeling refreshed . She turned around and saw Kakashi still sleeping curled up on the opposite side of the bed with his back turned to her. At the sight of him she felt a bit guilty about what happened during the night. She got up quietly and went to the bathroom. When she got back to the room after her morning hygiene Kakashi was gone with his backpack and everything. _I hope he is not too angry._ She quickly dressed and packed the rest of her things and the book from under her pillow. She looked for the last time at the room with her hand on the doorhandle to check if she or Kakashi didn't forget anything. She smiled at the memory of what happened yesterday. She blushed a little when she fully realized what she did with her ex-sensei but on the other hand it felt too good to be ashamed for it. They were both adults and if they are going to play happily engaged couple she could at least have some fun. She smiled at the idea of seducing her ex-sensei at least one more time during this week. _This will be fun. Ino would be proud of me. _

She walked down and was surprised to find every one already eating breakfast. She joined them and saw that Kakashi seemed a bit tired with dark circles under his eyes. Sakura felt a little pang of guilt as it was probably her fault.

After they finished breakfast they set out on the road. They should get to the ryokan before sunset.

They already finished quick lunch by the side of the road when Sakura found herself walking beside Kakashi. He didn't talk to her or look at her since the breakfast when he shot her a quick dirty look.

They were walking in silence and Kaori, Ayako and Ino were walking in front of them. Sakura was about to apologize to Kakashi when she felt something. She didn't slow down and just looked at Kakashi who nodded slightly his head in confirmation that he felt it too. Sakura looked at Ino and knew she was listening and knew something was up._ Ino protect Ayako and Kaori and get to the ryokan as fast as possible. We will catch up to you later._ Ino turned her head and smiled at Sakura letting her know she heard her and understood. Still smiling she explained it to Ayako and Kaori.

Sakura got her gloves out of her back pocket and started to put them on flexing her fingers with the anticipation of a fight.

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I know, we (Me and Sakura) are a bit evil, leaving poor Kakashi that way. But don't worry he will be more satisfied in the next chapter ;)

Wish me luck as in the next chapter will be a fight scene, my first ever so it might take longer to write. Sorry for that BUUUUUUUUT if you review I'm sure it will make me want to write faster ;)

This is my way of not begging for a review. Really I don't begg... too much... so pleeeeeaaaaase review.

Anyway thank you for reading, that makes me happy too ^^


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry for the longer wait but this is the longest chapter so ENJOY!

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Sakura put her gloves on and prepared for a fight. She could feel their chakra nearing. She slowed down as well as Kakashi.

"Aaaah the bag is getting heavy." Sakura stopped and pretended that her backpack is too heavy. She set it down and stretched her back trying to look around for the nearing enemy. Kakashi stopped too and put his bag next to hers. He looked at her and as she nodded they both jumped up into the trees and stared running to the side to intercept their attackers and trying to get them away from Ayako and Kaori. As soon as they jumped into the trees Ino gave the signal to Ayako and Kaori and all of them started to run in the direction of ryokan as fast as civilians could.

Sakura hoped that none of the attackers will follow Ino and her group. She could recognize fifteen, no sixteen distinctive chakra signals nearing them at top speed. She jumped from branch to branch next to Kakashi. She was about to ask who they are when Kakashi stopped as first two attackers came into view already kunai in their hands ready for combat.

"Hn. You thought we will let you get away after you killed our boss?" Screamed one of them at Kakashi.

"Wich boss?" Asked Kakashi.

"Whaaaaat?" Started one man jumping up and down.

"Calm down Shiro." Said the other taller man to get his friend to shut up.

By that time others were almost at their side.

"We want that scroll back." Said the taller man.

"What scroll?"

"Why do they always feel the need to talk before a fight?" Asked Sakura with a bored expression on her face.

"They do don't they?" Turned Kakashi to Sakura scratching his chin.

"Always. I wanted to ask but they usually die before I remember to ask."

That's when they dodged a flying kunai and both jumped to opposite sides . As Sakura jumped down infront of two startled ninja she buried her chakra enhanced fist into ground and grinned as the ground swallowed both of them. She turned to dodge a kick from another enemy and began a quick exchange of kicks and punches. After another set of kicks he made a mistake that Sakura used without hesitation. She sent him flying into a tree that fell down as he hit it with full force. She had a minute to look around and see Kakashi fighting two of them at the same time. He disposed of them quickly and moved to the first two ninja that were talking. She didn't have time to see what happens as the last four attackers came at her. She dodged the first two but was hit with a kunai in her shoulder blade. She quickly took it out and threw it at the ninja that was in front of her. Before his dead body fell down she disposed another one to her right with a chakra enhanced kick into his abdomen that sent him flying to a nearby tree. The last two kept their distance as they seemed more intelligent then the first two. They realized how deadly she was in close combat. One of them was about to cast a jutsu when she suddenly appeared behind him and slit his throat. With a surprise in his face he fell down from the branch he was sitting on. She had them in genjustu before she took the kunai out of her shoulder. The last one managed to get out of her genjustu and was trying to run away. She glanced quickly at Kakashi to check how he was doing. The two ninja were still standing and seemed to be the strongest of the bunch but she new that Kakashi will be ok as she seen his serious face. He wasn't taking them lightly.

She started running to catch the last attacker that was running in the same direction as Ino and her group._ I need to catch him before he has the chance to attack them._ She took out one senbon that had poison on it's tip. When she was near enough she threw it in his neck. As soon as he put his hand up to take it out he fell down. The poison was fast and it was meant to paralyze him in order to be able to interrogate the victim. She saw him fall and stopped when she saw how his neck snapped when he hit a big rock on the ground.

"Ouch. Oops."_ Probably should get back to Kakashi, there is nothing I can do now for that one._ Sakura checked just in case if he is really dead and turned around to get back to where she left Kakashi. While running back she stopped the bleeding of her shoulder. She would heal the rest after she makes sure that Kakashi is not hurt. As she got back she witnessed the last strike that brought down the last enemy ninja.

Sakura exhaled, relaxing her muscles after the fight. She watched Kakashi jump down from the branch. He made few steps and he almost fell to his knees. Sakura quickly rushed to his side catching him before he really fell.

"Kakashi what's wrong?"

She checked him for injuries but she only saw one cut on his thigh. It wasn't deep or serious enough for him to faint. She pushed her chakra into the wound and realized with wide eyes that the weapon he was cut with was poisoned. She looked around. _I need water._ She remembered that they passed a small stream not too long ago. She picked him up with the help of chakra and stared running to that water source._ I don't have time to analyze it. I just have to push it out of him._

She put him down next to the water and got him out of his pants. She started to push her chakra into his body looking for parts of the poison and pushing it to the wound. When she got a part to his wound he pushed it out using chakra induced water from the stream. She worked quickly as she could but some of it was already in his system so deep she couldn't get it out of his organs. She got out of him everything she could find and closed the wound so he wouldn't loose any more blood.

She checked the surrounding area for any more chakra signatures to make sure no one will attack him while she gets her backpack. She couldn't sense anyone so she stood up and started running to their backpacks. She had a small injection in her other medical kit. She was only researching it's capabilities but it should work against this poison.

As she got back to him with their backpacks she quickly injected him with the serum. I_t should work instantly._She was watching his visible eye intently waiting for him to wake. She let out a breath she was holding unconciously when his eye started to open.

"Oh, thank god it worked."

"What wowked? Wha? Whe?" Kakashi started mumbling incomprehensibly.

"Kakashi. Can you move? Can you hear me?" Sakura gently slapped his cheeks to get him to focus.

"Why are you hurting me?" His eye opened more widely. "I can't move my hands."

"Sorry that seems to be a side effect. It should subside within hour or two. Can't really do anything but wait." Sakura took out her notebook where she was writing her medical research and made a note of this side effect and put it in her pocket.

She pulled him to a nearby tree so he could be partly sitting and sat next to him as she healed her shoulder so it wouldn't leave a scar.

"What side effect? Why do I have side effects?" Kakashi managed to say.

"Well you were poisoned and I gave you a serum and that has some side effects."

He narrowed his eye at her.

"What side effects?"

"Well there is the partial paralysis, skin rash, some balding and few others. I already eliminated few of them so it's not that bad."

"You are evil Sakura, and sexy at the same time." He smiled and a small blush could be seen from under his mask.

"Oh and it works partly as a truth serum." She smiled. "So you think I'm sexy?"

"Evil was the first word. And yes. But you shouldn't be because you are my student."

"Your ex-student." Sakura corrected him.

"Yes exactly. Ex-student and I'm your ex-sensei. And you are so cruel to me."

"Are you pouting? Really?" Sakura laughed a little at the sight of her strong ex-sensei pouting like a little child.

"Who wouldn't after what you did yesterday." Sakura could see a blush coming from under his mask. Averting his gaze from her she knew he would be scratching his head right about now if he could move his hands.

She smiled mischievously and his eyes darted back to her.

"W-what are you doing Sakura?" She crawled slowly over his body.

"Nothing, Sensei." She whispered in his ear as she was leaning over him, hands on opposite sides of his motionless body. She sat down on his lap still smiling and looking him straight into his eye.

"You are doing something Sakura. T-that's not nothing."

"Why are you stuttering?"

"A-ah. Well you... Sakura." She pushed her hips against him still smiling innocently at him as if she was oblivious to what she was doing to him.

"Why not? I just want to repay you for yesterday. And besides..." This is when her smile turned to a cats smile that is about to play with a mouse. "You won't remember a thing thanks to that serum."

"Another side effect?"

"Precisely."

With that she pressed her lips to his masked ones. She thought of pulling his mask down but it wouldn't feel right. He was too helpless and that wouldn't be satisfying enough to get to see his face so easily. She could feel his lips moving a little as if against his own will. She moved to his ear and she started to nibble at his earlobe. This made him close his eyes. He decided that it would be best for everyone if he stayed quiet and enjoyed himself.

"What would you have me do Sensei?" She whispered in his ear and moved to nibble on his other one.

At this moment his mind went into overdrive at all the possibilities.

"Do you like when I nibble on your ear?" She bit him tenderly and then moved to his masked mouth and kissed him.

"Or do you want me to kiss you?" She kept kissing him and then moved to his other ear where she whispered.

"Or do you want to be inside of me?" This is when he lost himself a bit in the vision of Sakura riding on top of him. She could feel something hard pushing against her and she smiled at her small victory. It was just a small one because Kakashi was truly helpless and at her mercy. She enjoyed being in control and being able to tease the infamous Hatake Kakashi, the number one Konoha pervert and heartbreaker. She never thought of him as a man she could pursue sexually but after yesterday night it was too tempting not to explore him a bit. Even more so when he wouldn't remember a thing afterwards.

Sakura crawled down his body and stroked his groin with her hand. He kept silent and just watched her as she played with him.

He was still just in his boxer shorts so Sakura had an easy access to his manhood. Sakura pulled them down and freed his now hard member.

She lowered her head and gently kissed the tip of his shaft and smiled at the sound that escaped Kakashi's lips. Her three long braids fell onto his thigh and tickled him lightly. She kissed her way down and up again and around. When she got back to his tip she parted her lips and slowly took the tip of his member into her mouth. With her tongue she swirled around it and gently sucked at it. She released him and licked his tip again. She licked him from the base to the top again at which she took him in her mouth. She took him into her mouth as far as she could moving her head up and down while flicking her tongue around. She took his testicles into her hand and started to play with them.

Appreciative sound came from Kakashi who had his eyes closed at the moment fully immersed in the feel of Sakura's tongue on his penis. His illusions of the innocence of his only female student were shattered more and more with every lick of her tongue on his hard member. He looked at her head going up and down and at her nice butt that was showing as she knelt in front of him. His climax was about to come as he wasn't fighting against the pleasure she was giving him.

Sakura could feel him tremble at her touch and was prepared for him to come any second now. She was still surprised when the hot liquid filled her mouth and she had to focus a little not to choke on it. She swallowed it and gently licked the remaining liquid off his softening member. Kakashi had his eyes closed and seemed to have enjoyed her ministrations. She knew he will fall asleep in a little while, another side effect she still needed to work on.

She waited for him to be fully asleep and then put his boxer shorts and his pants into place. When she was finished she sat down next to him waiting for him to sleep it off so they could continue their trip to Ayako's ryokan. She took out her stolen Icha Icha and started to read where she left off, wandering if she would be able to do what was on page 69.

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Regarding chapter 9 I don't know if you didn't like it or what. I got two wonderful reviews and I'm happy guys that you had the time to do so but what about others? Was it really that bad? It was one of the reasons why I didn't have the mood to write this chapter.

Well anyway I'm happy that you at least read the story, but it would be helpful if I knew if you like it or not. Next time I'm really going to beg ^^


	10. Chapter 10

Hi there! Sorry for the longer wait but I've been a bit busy with work and life in general. I'll get better at updating faster ^^

So enjoy!

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It was starting to get colder as the day progressed. Sakura once again groaned silently and blushed as a schoolgirl. She smacked her head once more with her hand. _What the hell is wrong with me? Why did I do that? Okay, so he wont remember but I will. He is my ex-sensei for kami's sake. I'm such an idiot. I should probably stop reading that book. It gives me stupid ideas. _

She already put the book away into her backpack and tried to get some rest until Kakashi wakes up but as soon as she closed her eyes she started to fully grasp what she did just few moments ago. Since then she was unable to stop blushing and groaning at her own stupidity.

"Aaaaaaah." She started walking around in small circles and trying to calm herself down. "Stupid, stupid, stupiiiiid." She was about to start ripping her hair out when she heard Kakashi groan behind her as he was waking up.

This time she slapped her cheeks and bit her bottom lip. _Don't panic, he doesn't remember anything that happened. Just turn around and act normal. Yes that's good, just smile._

When Kakashi woke up and looked at Sakura he kind of wished he was still asleep. She turned around and had the most frightening smile he had witnessed. Ever. She could turn it into a good way to scare off her opponents. He wasn't sure if he wanted to ask her to stop. This is how he imagined a mantis right before devouring her mate after coupling. He was afraid she might kill him or bite his head off or something very violent. _Actually being killed right now might be an easy way out._

"Ehm." He cleared his throat and had his fingers crossed that it won't trigger some violent reaction from her.

"How are you feeling Kakashi? Are you ready to go?" She asked and waited for his answer still with that creepy smile .

He quickly assessed the state of his body. As he stood up to stretch he could feel a faint throb in his thigh but otherwise he was feeling alright.

"I think we can head out. Why don't you lead the way Sakura-chan. I'll cover the back just in case some more of them follow?" _And it will be probably safer for me if I don't have to worry about you stabbing me in the back with that freaky smile of yours. _He finished in his head.

Sakura quickly nodded and picked up her backpack and trailed off into the distance without waiting for him. He just stood there and scratched his head. _I'm not sure if I want to follow._

He hunched his shoulders as a small boy being called in for diner from the playground, nevertheless he picked his backpack up and followed Sakura.

They travelled in silence and Kakashi kept his distance just in case. Sakura didn't complain and lead the way. She stopped just once when she wasn't sure witch way to go. Kakashi just silently pointed his finger in the right direction still not sure if talking won't get him killed.

The sun was about to set down when the roykan came into view. The forest subsided and a clearing could be seen all around the building. It was build at the base of a small mountain. To the right in the distance one could see the signs of inhabitation, probably from the small town that was not too far away. Kakashi let out a sigh of relief.

Sakura finally calmed down when she saw the ryokan. It was in a beautiful setting and the building itself had traditional architecture and it seemed quite old and... grand. That was the word that came to her mind as they entered through the main gates. There were all kinds of buildings around and it more seemed like a home of a noble family than a ryokan.

The moment they stepped through the gates all stress and fatigue from the fight and travel washed off of them. It was a strange that just the scenery itself could cause you to calm down so incredibly fast. It was tranquil.

A big sakura tree was dominant in the courtyard and a small pond right next to it with koi fish swimming in it only magnified the feeling of harmony that settled on them when they entered. Her heart calmed down the minute she set her eyes on it. It was a beautiful scene that nearly brought joy to the observer. She actually stopped in her tracks when she saw the small pink leaves fall magnificently down onto the water.

Sakura was so lost in the moment that she didn't notice running Ino who almost knocked her down as she embraced her.

"Sakura, are you alright? What happened?"

"Hi Pig. Yeah we are fine. Seemed that they were old friends of Kakashi. Who were they anyway?"

"They were the ones that attacked my team on our way back from my last mission. Seemed they wanted to get revenge for their leader that I disposed off. If Raku wasn't injured so badly I would have taken care of all of them. " Kakashi said almost apologetically. It wasn't like him to leave an unfinished job but he didn't think they would be able to mobilize again with their leader dead. And saving a partner on the mission had higher priority than fighting with some badly organized rouge ninja. His thoughts were interrupted as a voice interrupted them.

"Welcome Kakashi-san, Sakura-san. My name is Kotone." A small girl walked to them and bowed low. She was dressed in a simple yukata and was about the same age as Sakura and Ino but looked smaller and more fragile. She wasn't too pretty with a plain face and walnut brown hair, but here eyes were something that made he more pretty. Their color resembled the color of an apricot.

"Ayako-sama has asked me to lead you to your room and kindly invites you to the dinner in one hour. Please follow me." With that she turned around and started to lead them inside the biggest building.

Sakura was looking around the building and was impressed by the whole feeling she got from the place. As they entered it had a small entrance hall where one could get their shoes off and slip on comfortable slippers. Sliding doors opened to a larger lobby-like hall where few chairs and tables were on both sides and at the end in the middle was a reception desk where another girl sat. She was a bit older than Kotone and all Sakura could notice when she bowed to them as they were passing her was her light blue hair and pale blue eyes.

Kotone informed them that she is the other servant that works here and goes by the name of Izumi. Sakura though it was a very fitting name for someone of that hair and eye color.

They walked to the end of a long hall and that is when Sakura noticed that Ino is still walking beside them.

"Don't you have your own room?"

"Yes I do, and it's gorgeous. That's why I want to see yours." She smiled and almost hopped as she was walking. Sakura narrowed her eyes at her. She knew when she was acting this way that something happened. Better said someone.

"Why are you so happy?" Sakura inquired carefully.

"I'm just happy you arrived safe. That's all." Ino replied still smiling like an idiot.

"Yeah sure and my natural color is black." Sakura replied sarcastically.

"Really?" Kakashi asked surprise in his face.

Sakura just rolled her eyes as an answer to Kakashi's question and turned back to Ino.

"So are you gonna tell me who it is or do I have to make you tell me?"

"Fine. It's the cook in the kitchen. He is the chef." Smiling unable to change her expression.

"Really? A cook? When did you have time to meet him?" Sakura asked not really sure she believed her. As they passed one sliding screen into a courtyard Ino squeaked a little and grabbed Sakura and pointed her finger at a man walking in the distance.

"That's him."

Sakura's jaw almost hit the floor when she saw him but before she could say something to Ino she was already halfway through the courtyard and aiming at the innocent cook.

"He does look a lot like .." Kakashi asked Sakura who was still staring at Ino disbelievingly.

"Yep."

"Isn't she a bit too shallow for that?" Kakashi asked again.

"Yep."

"Does she not notice?"

"Nope."

"Hn."

"Exactly."

A small cough sound alerted them back to their small guide trying to usher them into the further most room with opened sliding doors. When they entered their room she reminded them about the dinner and pointed to the other room where they could find a proper attire for the evening. A welcome gift from Ayako. She said she will wait nearby in case they needed anything. With that she closed the sliding doors and left them in their room. Well it was more of an apartment.

They were standing in a big room with a small table with fruit on top of it. The room had four doors, one that Kotone pointed to was on the right side. The other small door on the right side led to a bathroom. Sakura was a little disappointed that it had only a shower but when she turned and opened the bigger sliding doors that were opposite the entrance she let out a "Wow."

Outside was a miniature garden and a small natural spring bath with steaming hot water. The garden was surrounded by natural rocks on one side and by big ornamental bushes on the other. She would jump right in if they weren't invited for dinner in one hour. She unwillingly tore her eyes off of the little liquid heaven in front of her and went to see what was behind the last door.

She didn't have to open the sliding doors as Kakashi was already inside and sprawled on the bed reading his book. It was a big bed with white sheets that had thin black flower patterns on it. The frame was made out of dark wood and it was very low. One would have to crouch to sit on it but it was better than to sleep on futon rolled out on the floor.

She took her backpack and went to the shower to get the dirt out of her hair and her skin. When she was finished she got out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped securely around her body. As she crossed the room to the _proper attire_ she heard a whistle from Kakashi.

"Shut it and get yourself cleaned, will you?" Sakura replied and thrown the small wet towel she had on her hair his way.

When she opened the door she stopped in her tracks. There were two kimono's waiting for them in that small changing room. She went to the red one with light orange obi. It was made out of the finest silk and had big white flowers sewed all over it. They looked like blooming lotus with faint yellow center. She started dressing but realized she won't be able to tie the obi herself. She poked her head out of their room and saw Kotone sitting not too far away. She noticed Sakura and came closer.

"How can I help Sakura-san?" She bowed slightly as she approached her.

Sakura just shown her the untied obi in her hands and Kotone just nodded and followed her inside the dressing room. She tied her obi into place and asked Sakura to sit down so she could do her hair. She tied her hair into a small bun in the back leaving her three long braids in place. She fastened her bun with and ornamental hair pin that had small sakura flowers dangling on the side of it. After that she bowed and left.

Just as she closed the sliding doors Kakashi emerged from the shower dressed in his usual jounin attire with is mask in place and wet hair.

"No you don't."

"What I don't?"

"You're not going to the dinner dressed in that."

"Why not?"

"Because your cousin asked you to join her at her dinner table dressed appropriately." She pointed to the dressing room. "You have a kimono waiting in there."

"So? I'm on a mission remember?"

"Common Kakashi. Don't spoil it. It will really suit you. Pleaaaaase?" She smiled at him as she really wanted to see him dressed in that.

"Whatever." He resign as there was no point in arguing with her. He was just happy she got rid of that creepy smile of hers.

Sakura waited for him to come out of the dressing room willing herself not to giggle. When he came out all her worries about giggling were dissolved. He looked really, really good in it. She didn't expect that.

It was grey and had shuriken patterns all over it. He didn't have his head band on so his mismatched eyes looked at her through his still damp hair falling slightly over them. His mask was in place as expected. She though he will look childish, like a child going for his first festival.

"Shall we go? Or do you want to drool some more?" Kakashi extended his hand waiting for Sakura and had his famous eye crinkle in place.

Sakura blushed lightly and put her hand in Kakashi's.

"I wasn't drooling."

"If you say so." He smiled again and led her out of their room.

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I know, I know. Not too much happened but it was still necessary for the story. I promise you will see some action AND _action_ in next chapter ;)

Don't forget to review ^^


	11. Chapter 11

Hello ^^ Another update yaaaay! Are you happy? I am :) this chapter was very fun to write :) and the longest one yet!

One big thanks to all who reviewed.

Enjoy!

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The low table in front of them seemed to bend under the weight and quantity of the delicious looking food. One was almost unable to decide what to try out first. There were so many different types of dishes with different tastes and colors. This could only be called a feast because to name it dinner might be considered by some people a crime.

They were all sitting around the table. Sakura and Kakashi sitting next to each other on one side, Ino and Kaori on the opposite side. Ayako was sitting at the head and was just gesturing form them to start eating.

The food was brought by a tall girl named Hokori with unusual pale brown hair that looked almost grey together with Kotone. While Hokori left the room and slide the door shut behind her, Kotone went to sit in one corner of the room and took out a small flute and started to play silently a beautiful tune that seemed to liven the dinner even more.

Ino didn't waste any more time and with a cheerful_ itadakimasu_ went on filling her plate with various dishes. Even she had a gorgeous kimono that seemed to be designed especially for her. It was her favorite color, dark purple with white cranes motive on it.

Sakura looked at Kaori and wasn't surprised to see that she also had a stunning kimono on her that seemed to accentuate her natural beauty even more. It was a intricate design with various patterns sawn on it in red, white and gold. With her black hair tied in a simple low ponytail on one side she looked almost like a noble woman.

The same went for Ayako who herself was dressed in a dark blue kimono with cloud like patterns on the sleeves and in the bottom. Sakura couldn't decide which kimono she liked the most but all of them seemed as if Ayako knew them a long time and prepared them in advance.

She was so lost in thought that she almost jumped when Kakashi silently turned to her and whispered in her ear.

"Are you not hungry?" putting a small piece of a spicy food on her small plate.

Her eye twitched a little. She smiled innocently at him taking her chopsticks and directing them at the fried banana dipped in honey.

"And you?" She asked with a slight threat in her voice.

Being the smart man he was and hating the sweet and fried stuff she was currently putting on his plate he quickly took the spicy thing from her plate and ate it.

"Good answer." Sakura smiled and laughed a little as Kakashi went for another spicy piece of meat.

How is it possible he can eat so fast that you can't even see him pulling his mask down? You can see his hand going up but after that his movement is so fast that you can't really see anything aside him pulling the mask back to it's place. _Doesn't he get gastric ulcer from eating so fast?_

She stopped hesitating and started eating. The doors slid open and Izumi stepped in with five small sake bottles. She served them all and went to sit beside Kotone who was still playing the small flute.

Izumi silently took empty plates from the table and waited nearby for them to finish the rest. It was almost impossible to stop eating those delicious dishes. The only thing that limited them was the size of their stomach that seemed too small at this time.

They were almost sad when the rest of the plates were cleared from the table but were too stuffed to protest.

Their empty bottles were exchanged for full ones and Izumi got back to the dinning room followed by Hokori. She brought with her a _koto _and set it in front of Kotone who put her flute away.

Kotone started playing at the stringed musical instrument in front of her and Izumi dressed in simple light blue kimono that brought out even more her blue hair, produced an ornament fan out of her sleeve and started dancing to the music.

Her moves were gentle and gracious, flowing with the music like a spring meandering through the rocky mountain terrain. It was mesmerizing almost like the way that sakura petal fell down on to water in the pond by the entrance.

After the first dance and a round of applause Ino said dreamily she would like to learn to dance like that.

Izumi just smiled and motioned to her to stand up and giving Hokori a silent request to bring another fan. Izumi started to explain the basic movements one could do with a fan and steps that go with it. When Hokori returned with more fans Ino excitedly run to Sakura and made her stand up as well and try it herself.

Kakashi was drinking his sake and amused looking at the young women playing and dancing with fans. Both of them got it on the first try as the movements were fairly similar to handling a kunai and basic kata. He was looking at Sakura as she smiled and tried throwing the fan upwards with a turn of her body and catching it again as she twirled it on her finger. Her movements were elegant and smooth. _She is so beautiful. Beautiful? Where did that come from? Bad sensei, bad perverted old man. _He chastised himself inwardly but still smiled at the image of Sakura dancing just for him less dressed. He set down the sake thinking he had just enough to drink while still thinking of how Sakura had grown up. She changed so much and he didn't even notice. He closed his eyes for a few seconds willing one particular image out of his head.

After few more moves both Sakura and Ino sat back down and Izumi started to dance again to Kotone's music.

Sakura started to be happy about that she was dragged here. This place seemed like a small piece of heaven on earth. The food, the surrounding scenery, the hotel and its architecture and the service. All she wanted right now was go to that beautifully hot spring just outside their room and soak her body in it until she would have wrinkles on her hands from the water. She felt tired from the trip and the fight and the food combined with alcohol was making her sleepy even more.

When she looked around she noticed that everyone was looking rather tired and ready for bed. Ayako being the good host noticed as well and gave a sign to Izumi and Kotone to finish their performance.

When they finished a round of cheerful applause followed and both bowed deeply.

Ayako bid them all good night and invited them for breakfast in the morning. _I will have to be rolled away from this place. That's how fat I'm going to get if we get such a meal three times a day. _Sakura though as she imagined the royal breakfast that will wait for them in the morning, partly excited and partly terrified at the awakening of her gluttonous side.

Kakashi opened the door to their room and went straight to the bedroom. Sakura still yearned for the hot bath so she just got her bikini out of her bag and went to change. She took the bathrobe from the bathroom and went to the dressing room to get out of the kimono. She was quickly undressed and put her bikini on and the bathrobe on top. She took the hair pin out of her hair and let her hair fall loosely around her face.

She crossed the room and hear Kakashi in the bathroom. _Was he taking a shower?_ Well she was too drunk and tired to think about why would he take another shower. She opened the doors to the small garden and sighed happily as she dipped her foot in the hot water. She got out of her bathrobe and entered the small basin with an utterly blissful feeling spreading all over her body. This is even better than sex. The only thing missing right now was a good book in one hand and a glass of champaign in the other. She closed her eyes and put a small cloth over them as she mused about the book she was reading. It had a bad influence on her. She would never act so openly seductive in front of her ex-sensei. What was she thinking? _I know I'm a grown woman now but still. It was Kakashi for kami's sake._ She had no right to do that in the hotel and THAT in the forest. At least he didn't remember the second incident. And being horny and sexually frustrated was no excuse to push herself onto him. He probably wasn't interested in his underdeveloped ex-student. Seeing Kaori as his ex-lover it seemed he preferred a bit more developed woman in the chest area.

The hot water was slowly lulling her into sleep and the alcohol seemed to work faster in her system. She was about to drift to sleep when she was startled by a splash of water right beside her. She opened her eyes and sat more straight but before she could look at the intruder she felt a body settling behind her and a masculine hand sneaking around her abdomen and pulling her closer to that body.

"It's dangerous to sleep in hot water you know?" Kakashi whispered in her ear as he pulled her into his lap. Sakura was wide eyed and surprised as to what is Kakashi doing. She wanted to turn around and ask but he wouldn't let her turn.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing, Sakura." He whispered in her ear and started kissing her behind her neck. What most surprised her was that she could feel his lips on her wet skin. _He doesn't have his mask. That's why he wouldn't let me turn around. I need to turn around and see it. This is the perfect opportunity. Oh. Hmmm. Oh yes, yes that's the place. _She almost said aloud as Kakashi started licking especially sensitive spot on her neck. She started to get lost in the moment when she felt the hand on her abdomen tighten and the other hand going to her jaw and tilting her head to one side so he could have better access to her neck. Sakura felt as her body was slowly succumbing to this simple touch and her mind was starting to get clouded by lust. The alcohol in her system didn't help her the least bit in thinking straight. The moment she let out a low moan she heard a chuckle behind her.

"What are you doing Kakashi?" She managed to repeat her question.

"Just returning the favor."

Sakura's body stiffened. _What is he implying? He couldn't..._

"What..?"

"You know side effects tend to differ from person to person."

At that moment Sakura became even redder than she already was from the heat of the water and alcohol. _Holy shit he remembers. Shit. Shit, shit crappy shity crap. How can this be? Oh please let this be a dream. This is too embarrassing. _She let her head fall down almost touching the surface of the water in an attempt to hide her face from the world.

"Sorry?" She half asked, half said with almost a whisper.

Kakashi just laughed. "Why are you sorry? It was quite... enjoyable. And it was your idea Sakura." She could hear the smile in his tone.

"Well it was a bad idea and I'm sorry. Could you just forget it? Please?" She wanted to get away from him as soon as she could because it was enough embarrassing to think about it and talking about it didn't help.

"Will you let me go? Please?"

"Only if you return my book."

So this is what he's after?

"No." She replied before she could think about it more. She wanted to know what happens next. Although it had a rather... _exciting_ effect on her.

"Hot spring it is." She could feel him lean back but he didn't remove his hand from her stomach.

Kakashi was surprised when he remember what happened previously today. As they entered their room after diner, small parts of it played in his minds eye. Sakura went to the dressing room while he went to the bedroom. He was not sure if the images he saw were just his vivid imagination combined with alcohol or if it was really true. Either way he was getting a serious boner. He quickly went to the bathroom before Sakura would notice his prominent bump in his lower parts. He closed the doors behind him and splashed his face with cold water but that wasn't helping too much. He got out of the kimono and stepped in the shower. He tried to piece together what he could and try to decipher whether it was really his memory or not. After few more minutes almost all of what happened came back to him. He wasn't sure what to do with it. It was Sakura who did that to him. His young and seemingly innocent ex-student gave him one hell of a blow job. When did she become so... attractive and sexually out going? Even though she thought he wouldn't remember it was something too bold. Something he wouldn't even imagine that Sakura would initiate herself. Seemed he was wrong. He smiled a little at this and decided to tease her a little. He wondered how far would she let this go. _I admit. I am an old perverted sensei. But who could blame me? No man could stand against what she did. _The more he thought about it the more aroused he was. He couldn't force it away so with a resigned sigh he grabbed his arousal and started pumping it to the blissful climax. When he finished he put on his boxers and his mask. He slowly peeked out of the bathroom and he could see the opened doors to the small garden. He let his mask pool on his neck as he didn't pull it up to hide his face. He wanted to taste her skin without the barrier of this thin fabric.

Sakura crossed her arms and waited for Kakashi to get bored and let go. _But that is just an unrealistic dream, huh? S_he settled down and started to think of a way how to get out of this situation with at least some dignity and maybe seeing Kakashi's face in the process. While thinking she started to notice the hard masculine body under her own which made her quite uncomfortable. He seemed to be wearing his boxers at least. She wiggled a little few times trying to find a more comfortable seating position.

"Sakura.."

"What?"

"..." Seemed he wanted to say something but rather stayed quiet.

"Just admit you like it?"

"Like what?" Sakura was caught of guard while thinking about his body under her.

"The book."

"Oh, the book. Of course I don't like it. The story is poorly built."

"So you read it."

"No I didn't."

"You just said the story was poorly built." He whispered in her ear and she started to wiggle out of his grasp one more time a bit more vigorously.

"Sakura, stop moving." Kakashi gritted through his teeth while trying to not concentrate on the soft skin under his hands. Trying to still her movements he accidentally moved his other hand a bit too up over her chest area. A soft gasp escaped Sakura's lips before she could hide it. _Is she really this sensitive to touch? _He was too curious and too drunk not to try it one more time.

Sakura stopped moving when she felt his hand brush on her hardened nipple. _That was an accident right? _She wasn't sure what to say but before she could muster anything she felt Kakashi's hand move to her breast one more time. _This _wasn't_ an accidental brush of hand. _This time she let out a small squeak accompanied by moan at the end. She was too sensitive on her breasts and it seemed Kakashi found out. As he touched her nipple her reaction was subconsciously to grind her core against the manly surface under her which led to Kakashi squeezing her breast one more time accompanied with a kiss on her sensitive spot on her neck. When Kakashi pinched her nipple though the thin fabric of her bikini top she let out a moan of pleasure and had to grab the edges of the basin in order not to drown.

Sakura moved her head to the side so Kakashi could have better access to her neck. _This feels too good to stop. I don't care anymore that it's Kakashi who is doing this to me. Just don't stop. _

Sakura moved one of her hands and intervened her fingers in Kakashi's hair moving her body even closer to his, if that was even possible. Sakura could feel his hardening member under her and moved her pelvis so that her core would be closer. This movement enticed an appreciative moan from Kakashi as he moved from her neck to her earlobe. His hand fondled one breast at a time.

Sakura held her breath as she felt Kakashi's other hand move lower over her body and neared the edge of her bikini bottom. She was so aroused that one stroke from him would be her undoing. She knew she was on the edge of her release and Kakashi being to one to get her to her climax was even more exciting. It felt as if the time slowed down to prolonging the bitter sweet suffering before the final explosion of hot liquid inside ones body.

The moment he was supposed to touch her waiting core, two things happened that Sakura had problems comprehending fast enough in her current state. One was the sound of screaming woman and running footsteps and the second was the absence of the body and arms that were supposed to touch her.

Sakura blinked few more times to get her lust filled mind out of the haze.

"What just happened?" Sakura said in a confused voice and got out of the hot spring looking around to see where Kakashi went. She saw him in his pants, with his mask back in place and trying to get his shirt on while running to the doors that led outside of their room. This is when she heard the scream one more time more clearly and also started to run to the door grabbing her bathrobe to put on.

When she got out of their room she received a hysterical Ino right into her arms.

"Ino? What happened?"

Ino looked at her with scared eyes and managed to get out one sentence while pointing back to the hallway.

"There's a ghost."

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So few notes at the end. The translation of the names of the characters have a certain meaning. I think this is the best time to introduce at least some of them that you already met.

Ayako - kimono design, design, color

Kaori - smell, parfume, fragrance

Izumi - fountain, spring

Kotone - harp, lute, sound

Hokori - dust

If there is something I forgot to explain let me know and please don't forget to review ^^


	12. Chapter 12

So here it is :) another chapter. I hope you are all happy :D How is that song? If your happy clap your hands? *clap* *clap*. I would say if you're happy R&R *review* *review* :D

Thank you all for reviewing, faving and all that. It makes me happy that you do care to click on that button :D

Sorry for the babbling, just go on and read and of course ENJOY! :)

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Ino entered her room and went to her bedroom to change out of the beautiful but heavy kimono she was wearing during the diner. She had to smile at the face that Kakashi made when Sakura was dancing. Even though he had most of his face covered one could see a slight blush creeping from under it. _He really must like Sakura. I never thought they would look so cute together_.

Ino changed into a simple yukata that she intended to sleep in and opened the doors to her small private garden. She sat down on a small cushion and looked at the stars thinking about her newfound love object. Thinking dreamily about him a different face made its way into her mind's eye. She shook her head vigorously as if it was possible to get that person out of her head and heart. She stubbornly made herself think about the cook. He had such a sweet name, Sabaku. Even though she was trying so hard to think about Sabaku the other face still came back to her after she let her concentration down.

She refused to let that man dig more into her heart so with a new resolve she quietly opened the door to her room and looked around the quiet hallway. She just needs to find room where Sabaku slept and he will be helpless against her special seduction moves. She was an expert in this field and no man was safe when she pulled out her best moves.

She quickly checked her image in the mirror and blown a kiss at her reflection. She smiled brightly and almost skipped as she was walking down the hallway. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks. Actually it was a sound that made her stop. She couldn't discern what it was but goose bumps rose on her bare arms. She froze in place as she heard it again. It was a whisper. A very, very creepy whisper that made an uncomfortable shiver ran up her spine. A cold sweat broke all over her body as she slowly turned around to where that sound was coming from. What she saw made her loose all color in her face. She was a skilled shinobi and didn't believe in ghosts and such, but seeing that _thing_ in front of her made her blood run cold.

There in the middle of the hallway, floating above the ground was a spirit of some kind. It had the shape of a man dressed in white kimono but the bottom part of his body was almost non-existent. One could see through his whole body but the bottom part didn't even have outlines. His face was the scariest part. His eyes were white. They seemed to be without irises. It was just white and it seemed to glow. His teeth were the worst part. Not one of them was in the right place or turned the right way. That ghost seriously needs braces. It had serious buck teeth. If it wasn't so scary the only other word that would come to Ino's mind would be repulsive, ugly and hideous. Goosebumps appeared on her body at the thought of this thing touching her.

At first Ino couldn't move or speak. She blinked few times and that was all she could do. She closed her eyes for two seconds to get some sense into this situation. When she opened her eyes a new wave of fear rushed through her body. The spirit was just mere centimeters in front of her. It moved almost 6 meters within those 2 seconds she had her eyes closed.

_That's it. I thought I wasn't afraid of ghosts. I thought they didn't exist. But seeing it face to face made me realize that this is something my rational mind isn't able to comprehend and accept without fear. Ok Ino. It's time to scream. Now. Scream! AND RUN!_

The next thing she remembers was that she was in Sakura's embrace and was pointing back behind her.

"There's a ghost."

"Huh? A ghost?" Sakura asked and shot a look at Kakashi. He looked at her with distrust but went down the hallway with a kunai in his hand. By that time there were already other people coming to see what is happening. Ayako, Izumi and Hokori were the first ones by Sakura's and Ino's side.

"What happened?" Ayako asked.

"There seemed to be a ghost. Would you wait here? I'll be right back." Sakura handed a little less frightened Ino to Izumi and went after Kakashi.

She discovered him crouching in the middle of the hallway.

"Did you find anything?"

"Not sure."

Sakura came closer to the place he was looking at and could sense a colder air around this place and a small puddle of water on the ground.

"Is that water? What is it doing in the middle of the hallway?" Sakura looked around but didn't see any broken vase or a glass of water that could be the source of the puddle on the floor. She even looked up in case there was a leakage in the ceiling but that wasn't the case either.

"There is no smell to it. Except of this there is nothing suspicious. No chakra traces or a distinctive smell." Kakashi seemed to be deep in thought and after a minute of silence he turned around and headed back to Ino and the others with Sakura following behind him. She glanced back one more time but didn't notice anything out of place.

"Did you see it?" Ino asked in a more composed and less hysterical voice.

Kakashi just shook his head and let everyone know that there is nothing to worry about.

"Just go to sleep and I will look into it more in the morning. There is nothing to do at this moment."

Everyone just silently nodded and started to scramble slowly to their rooms. Ino pulled at Sakura's sleeve and Sakura nodded in understanding.

"I'll go with Ino. Don't wait up." She said to Kakashi and went with Ino to her room.

Ino seemed really shaken. That wasn't really like her. It must have been something to frighten her strong minded friend. Ino went to her bed and Sakura brought her a glass of water from the bathroom.

"So? What did you see?" Sakura asked unable to hold back her curious nature.

Ino shot her a sharp look and just shook her head.

"Not really sure but you can be sure as hell that I'm not watching any more horror movies." She laughed a bit nervously but otherwise seemed to have calmed down.

"Will you stay with me for a minute?" Ino asked with a small voice.

Sakura smiled and motioned for her to move a bit on the bed. While Ino moved a bit to make space for Sakura on the bed, Sakura pulled her wet bikini off quickly. They spent the next two hours chatting about everything and nothing and certainly not about ghosts until Ino fell asleep.

Sakura quietly got out of the bed and put a blanket over Ino. After she gathered her now dry bikini she turned off the lights and went back to her own room.

The room was dark and silent. As she entered the bedroom she could see Kakashi's sleeping form. At least she thought he was sleeping. She couldn't see his face as his back was turned to her. She quietly lied down on the bed and slipped under the covers. She tried to fall asleep really fast but her wish wasn't granted. She was painfully aware of Kakashi lying next to her and pretending to be asleep. She was waiting for him to say something, to move or to fall asleep. She was getting more and more annoyed with every passing minute. She couldn't stand it anymore.

"What?" She turned around and screamed at Kakashi's back.

He just mumbled something under his nose that sounded almost like 'Sorry'.

"For what?"

He sighed and turned around to look her in the face.

"Sorry for my inappropriate behavior earlier today. I shouldn't have done that."

She didn't reply at once but looked at Kakashi not sure what to say. He turned his head away from her, just staring into the space above the bed.

"You know, I'm a big girl. If I didn't like what we were doing I would stop." Sakura was surprised by her own honesty. She didn't really want to say that. She practically admitted that she liked what he was doing to her. As she realized what she said a blush crept to her face and she quickly turned around.

"Well we should get some sleep. Good night."

"Good night Sakura." Said Kakashi and Sakura could hear a smile in his voice. She groaned inwardly and just hoped Kakashi will forget what she said. She didn't want him to think of her… What did she want? She didn't know herself what she wants and that was even more frustrating. On one side he was her ex-sensei, someone that was there during her most embarrassing times of her childhood. He seen her grow up as a kind of surrogate parent. Trying to see him differently at this time in life was proving to be less and less difficult with his every touch. It's funny how ones perspective can change so easily. _Especially with that body of his. No, no he is not more sexy than any other shinobi. I work with shinobi and come to contact with nicely chiseled men all the time in the hospital. Why would he be different? It's just hormones talking. I'm too horny to think straight anymore. And why am I not sleeping yet? _

Sakura tried to find a comfortable position to sleep in, but without success. She couldn't stop thinking about everything that happened during the last week. She certainly didn't think she would end up here pretending to be Kakashi's fiancee. If this was a mission assignment it would be different. She could say to herself that all that was for the sake of the mission and the safety of Konoha. But what was this?

_Aaaah just stop thinking and sleep. _Sakura once again stirred on the bed and turned around to get more comfortable. This time she had her back turned to Kakashi. She started to count sheep in her mind but in a minute they became half naked Kakashis jumping over the fence instead of sheep.

This time she pulled the sheet up and hid her face under the sheet. _As if this will help._

She felt the bed move and a body to press to her back. A hand on her stomach pulled her closer to that other body.

"Stay still and sleep. " Mumbled Kakashi sleepily.

Sakura pulled the sheet down from her head and settled into the warm and soothing body behind her and fell asleep within few minutes.

Kakashi nuzzled his face into Sakura's hair and drifted to sleep with her scent in his nose.

* * *

The dawn was almost breaking when Kakashi started to wake. He was too lazy to open his eyes and the warm body lying partly on top of him was too welcoming to fully wake up. It might be a dream and he didn't want to loose that warmth. He moved his arms around the source of the heat, pulling it closer. Small hands moved to his shoulders and lips pressed into the curve of his neck, tasting him with tongue and slowly moving up his neck and over the masked part of his neck and jaw slightly grazing him with teeth. Before he knew what he was doing he turned around and pinned Sakura under his body while running one hand over her side pressing his masked lips to hers.

This isn't the way he behaves. He is less impulsive and more thinking about the consequences, but in this half sleeping state Sakura's warmth was too inviting to decline.

As he ran his hand over the side of her body to her ass he realized that under his hand wasn't any fabric but bare, soft and warm skin. _Her yukata must have opened during the night._ He didn't think about it more as Sakura's leg moved and she hooked it around his leg efficiently pushing him more into her. The fabric on his lips was starting to annoy him. He wanted to taste her but before he could do something about it her small hand moved up and pulled the piece of fabric down.

Her lips were dry as his mask absorbed most of the moisture so he used his tongue to lick them and make them moist again before pushing his tongue into her mouth. This earned him an appreciative sigh from Sakura. She met him with her own tongue circling around it and pushing it back so she could taste him too.

They were both awake but unable to stop or think straight through the haze of lust that was boiling in their veins and covered their rational mind. His hand moved over her body to cup her breast. Her already hard nipples were sensitive to his touch and made her moan into his mouth.

"Keep your eyes closed. I'll stop if you open them." Kakashi rasped between kisses and felt Sakura nod. He moved down her jaw trailing kisses as he went to her neck and ear and down to her collar bone stopping at each spot long enough to make a wet trail.

Through the haze of lust something came to Sakura's mind. There was something important that just happened. She tried to remember what it could be as much as she could. It slowly dawned on her. _He doesn't have a mask! Oh my god, I could see his face. He said he will stop if I open my eyes but I want to see it so baaaaad. I'll just have quick peek. He won't notice that. Just a really quick peek._

Sakura cracked one eye open but before she could zoom in on Kakashi's face she noticed a small red insect crawling on his, in boxers covered ass.

Instincts took over her actions and she quickly and with a lot of force struck against the small existence of the insect with a loud sound of disgust 'Eewwwww' . Of course it squished the insect into no more than a red smudge on her hand and Kakashi's ass but it also made, hopefully not permanent, imprint of Sakura's hand on his backside.

Sakura quickly realized what she just did as Kakashi's surprised eyes came into her line of vision. Before she could look down on the rest of his face there was a scratch on the door leading to the small garden. Kakashi turned around pulling his mask up walking away with a slight limp. _What the hell was that? Did she just slap me? Really?_

"Sorry?" Sakura silently mouthed the word and grabbed Kakashi's pillow so she could scream in it. _What the hell is wrong with me? _

Kakashi opened the door to the small garden and a small pug came inside shaking off the morning dew.

"Yo, Kakashi." It seemed he wanted to continue but instead gave Kakashi a strange look.

"Did I come in a bad time? You were making pups?" Asked Pakkun sniffing the air around Kakashi.

"What is it Pakkun? Did you find anything?" Asked Kakashi totaly ignoring the question, while almost unnoticeable blush crept from under his mask.

"No. Nothing came in or out of this place. We didn't find anything suspicious within the half mile radius you wanted us to sniff."

"Hm." Kakashi's mind went into analytic mode even though that information wasn't really surprising.

"Kakashi?" Fully dressed Sakura came into the room and smiled at Pakkun who was excited to see her. Sakura liked the small pug, he was really funny when scratched behind his ear. _He even makes a sound like a purring cat._

The small pug came to like Sakura very much after she discovered the perfect scratching spot just behind his left ear. He wasn't sure if it was the technique or the number of fingers used but it was seventh heaven. If he was inclined to behave like a cat he would purr, which is not something he would do being the hard core ninja dog, of course.

He strode happily to Sakura and waited for her to start the scratching almost smiling with anticipation. Sakura crouched and started with their little ritual. She would stop after he lies down on his back and scratches imaginary place with his hind leg.

Kakashi was lost in though but when he turned around he saw Sakura scratching his ninken and talking to Pakkun with a voice usually reserved for talking to small children or what women do when seeing something cute, like a puppy.

"Whose a good booooyyy. Whose a good boy?"

"Ehm." Kakashi was surprised that Pakkun isn't protesting against it. They both seemed to be in their own little world. _Since when do they have this relationship?_ He seems to be reminded quit often these last few days that he knows about Sakura much less then he thought he knew. _Or Pakkun for that matter._

"Ehm. Sakura-chan?"

"Yes Kakashiiii?" Kakashi's shoulders slumped as Sakura used the same voice on him. _Do I look like a dog?_

"Never mind. Let's go have breakfast." Kakashi went to their bedroom to get dressed and wait for those two to finish whatever that was.

"Suuure lets gooo. Yes we wiiiiill." Sakura replied not paying too much attention to whom she was talking as she once again used that awful tone of voice.

_This will be a long, long day, _though Kakashi with a starting headache.

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Hope you liked it :) I don't know how about you but I would reeeeeeeally want to see that hand imprint :D Anyone good with drawing fan-pictures (or whatever it's called?)

Anyway please don't forget to review ;)


	13. Chapter 13

I'm sorry :( this one is a bit shorter and there is not so much going on but I promise I'll make it up to you in the next chapter ;)

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Turning around another corner Sakura came to a small vegetable garden just to the side of the main building. It seems as the ryokan has its own supply of vegetables and fruits. On the field a small girl with dark green hair was tending to the plants using a small watering can. Nearby was an older woman with a hat on her light green hair, probably the girl's mother. When they noticed her they bowed slightly and continued to work on the small field.

Sakura nodded her head in a greeting and walked past them to another part of the ryokan. Behind the whole compex was a huge garden. Or better said a park with small gardens in it. She came to see a flower garden with a walkway in the middle snaking around different trees and plants and small ponds.

Sakura stood in awe at the beautifully designed garden.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Asked the little girl that came to stand next to Sakura. She turned to the girl with a smile.

"Yes it's almost mesmerizing. We don't have something like this where I come from. Just parks and training grounds."

"Mezme-what?" Asked the girl puzzled about the word Sakura used.

"It means that you can't take your eyes of it as if it was charmed." Explained Sakura and smiled at the little girl's evident fascination with the description.

"Midori?" A man's voice called out to the little girl from behind the bushes. He came down the path of the garden and the small girl ran to him. His dark brown hair was tied in a ponytail and his green eyes were the same as the girls.

"Otosan. The pretty lady said that your garden is mezmet-, ah… charming. "

"Oh did she?" He lifted her up in his arms and directed his attention to Sakura.

"I hope she wasn't bothering you."

"Oh no, not at all. I was just saying that the garden is mesmerizing. Truly beautiful."

"Thank you, miss. I'm happy you like it. It's my pride. Just after my beautiful wife and daughter."

"No need to call me miss. I'm Sakura."

"Nice to meet you Sakura-san. I'm Shokubutsu and this is Midori."

"And my okasan is Nana." Chimed in the little girl.

"Yes she is. Now go and help her. I still have some work to do." He gave her a big kiss on her cheek and sent her on her way to her mother. While passing Sakura she gave her a small bow and a smile.

"I must excuse myself as I have some work to finish. It was nice to meet you, Sakura-san. Please enjoy your walk." He brushed a stray strand of hair out of his face with a hand that was covered in a makeshift bandage. Sakura could see it was covered in blood. She immediately switched to her medic mode and approached him.

"Are you hurt Shokubutsu-san?"

"Ah, that's nothing. I was on my way to get it cleaned and bandaged properly."

"Will you let me look at it? I'm a medic."

"Well I don't want to trouble a guest."

"It's no problem at all." She smiled and took his hand, removing the ragged and bloodstained bandage. The cut wasn't too deep but it might get infected should it not be treated. She pushed her chakra into the wound and started healing it.

"How did you manage to cut yourself like this?" Sakura asked while closing the wound with her chakra.

He let out a nervous laugh. "Just being the clumsy me. Grabbed the garden shears as they were falling."

"Aha." Sakura wasn't sure why he would lie about how he got the cut. She finished her healing and let go of his hand.

"Thank you Sakura-san. Have a nice rest of the day." He bowed and left quickly.

Sakura was a bit confused by his behavior. She looked at her hand that she used for healing him. She felt a small trace of foreign chakra on it. It happened sometime that the chakra of the healed person seeped out into the person that was healing him, but that was very rare and it happened mostly with shinobi that had big chakra reserves.

She did check his chakra system when she started healing him but there was nothing strange about it. It was weak as it should be in a civilian.

"Strange." She mumbled and put it aside to tell Kakashi when she meets him. _If he ever talks to me again. _

She chose one of the paths and looked around to find a nice place to sit down. While she walked she mused about the morning events. After she slapped him he didn't talk to her, just asked her to go to the breakfast but not a word more. _He didn't even look at me_. _Well I was too embarrassed to even look him in the eye. But still he could say something. Anything. _He left right after the breakfast to search the grounds and hasn't come back yet.

She was getting bored in her room and thinking about this morning wasn't helping her mood either. So she decided to go for a walk around the area and maybe read a bit. Ino had other plans, pursuing or better said stalking of her new object and spending time with Kaori wasn't an option. She would rather eat a bowl of wasabi. As she walked she came across a bench under a stunning red maple tree_. Everything in this place is so perfect and beautiful. I'm starting to think that I might be just dreaming_. She smiled sheepishly and plopped on the bench enjoying the light breeze. _This trip is proving to be quiet enjoyable, with few exceptions of course. _

She opened the book she brought with her and started reading where she left off. She had to admit that it really had a good plot. She wanted to know what happened next with the main character. It wasn't just about sex as she thought in the beginning. Reading few pages she came across another picture. Her eyes almost popped out when she saw it_. What… what? How?_ _Oh… oh my_. She was turning it sideways trying to figure out whose limbs are where. She was experienced but seeing a threesome depicted so vividly made her blush like mad. Blood rushed not only to her face but also to her groin with a spreading feeling of excitement. She imagined how it would feel to have two men in bed with her. She quickly looked around to make sure no one was looking and opened the page one more time and read the chapter till the end with one breath leaving her almost breathless.

This book was starting to wake her perverse self. Really how can one not be while reading this? Would it really be so bad to succumb to ones desires?

Opening the book she started to read again and after few sentences she had to stop because she caught herself imagining her and Kakashi in the situation described at page 135 and that was just… _or was it?_ I'm a grown woman with needs and Kakashi is a single man with a certain reputation. Being together in one bed and not trying anything with him would be almost a crime. Why not use the unique opportunity? Kami knows there is no one else in Konoha that she would be interested in. It was just one big coincidence that she and Kiba managed to have their_ arrangement _and she wasn't sure that another opportunity like that would arise.

Anyway Kakashi seemed persuadable enough this morning so it shouldn't be that hard to get him naked and willing to have sex with her. _Just have to make sure no bugs or ghost show up._ Besides they didn't know each other that well.

They shared few years of memories while he was their teacher and later their team leader but there was nothing too personal in that relationship. They barely spoke to each other outside the times that he came into her home with injuries he wanted her to heal so he didn't have to go to the hospital. They would say hello and bye when they meet by chance on the street. Pretending that they were strangers wasn't that hard. She knew very little of his past or his preferences. All she knew were the rumors going around the village about his supposed sexual exploits but that could be exaggerated. _I must admit I never heard a single one of those rumors to say he wasn't good in bed._ Sakura smiled and her stomach flipped a bit with excitement and anticipation.

Plan "Seducing Hatake Kakashi" was set in motion as Sakura almost ran back to her room and backpack to dig out the more_ persuasive _underwear she brought with her.

Meanwhile Kakashi was running around the area and searching for any and all signs of foul play. After searching the whole place up and down, he couldn't find anything out of place. He even went that far to check on the nearby town for new faces that might have some interest in harassing the ryokan but the villagers didn't see anyone or anything suspicious.

Walking back to the hotel he took out his book and started reading. With a sigh he had to put it away as he wasn't able to concentrate on what he was reading. Instead the last days played in his mind and mostly today morning. Once again today he groaned aloud and ruffled his hair roughly. _What were you thinking old man? She isn't the type of girl you play around with._

He decided that this was the last time he touched her like that. She is the type for romantic love and romance and not just a quick flirt. Keeping her virgin and youthful body intact, by him, was his new priority. _Youthful? Oh for kami's sake.I need to stop talking to Gai, it's just not healthy for my sanity._ Coming to this conclusion made his mood lighten up and his steps lighten. He will have to hold up just few days until he solves this ghost thing and they can go home to their lives. And he would get his book back hopefully.

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Thank you for reading :) and don't forget to review if you have anything to say ;)

As for the names:

Shokubutsu - if the google translate doesn't lie it should mean plant

Nana - vegetables, greens

Midori - green

and from the last chapter Sabaku - desert, as in fields of sand :) and not what I thought to be a cake :D but thanks to this little tiny mistake I had with English and Japanese language I came to a great idea regarding him and Ino :D


	14. Chapter 14

Enjoy! Sorry it's a bit shorter but I promise I'll make it up to you in the next one!

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Walking down the halls of the establishment brought back few memories of his mother. It was a long time since he remembered her so vividly. Being here with her was one of his last memories of her and seeing this place brought them back.

Kakashi came back to the ryokan to talk to the staff and to his cousin in order to get some facts because as of now he had nothing. Acknowledging the existence of ghost wasn't an option for Kakashi. There must be something going on here other than that. He could feel it in his bones. Something just wasn't right.

Walking by one of the servant girls he asked where to find Ayako at this time and she pointed him in the right direction. Coming to the sliding door he could hear Ayako talking to someone. He knocked quietly on the frame and slid the door open to reveal Ayako sitting by a small table with and old looking woman, drinking tea.

Ayako smiled at him and asked him to join them.

"Kakashi, come in. Have you met my grandmother from my father's side?"

"Oh my, you have grown, boy." Said the old woman in a raspy voice. "We have met at the funeral but that was a long, long time ago wasn't it, boy. My name is Kashiko Ryoori." She smiled and he could see she was missing few teeth. Her old wrinkly face moved with her smile and her eyes were almost lost in the amount of skin around her eyes. She was dressed in a simple light blue kimono and her white hair was pulled in a bun on top of her head. Her watery blue eyes squinted at Kakashi as he sat down and took his gloves off while Ayako poured him a cup of tea.

Smiling politely at her and nodding his head a memory of two people came back to him as she mentioned the funeral. A man with an older woman was arguing. He couldn't remember the words exactly but he knew they were fighting about what to do with Ayako. It must have been her father and this woman. Her grandmother.

"Ayako? I wanted to ask about the people who have access to the ryokan and grounds. Could you give me a list?"

"Well you have seen most of the people who work and live here. Just few others come from the nearby town when needed. They help with cooking and cleaning but there was no need for them for the last months."

"I would like to speak to them if you don't mind."

"Of course not. But please be gentle. We are like a family. I doubt anyone from us has something to do with the.. eh.. ghost."

"Don't worry. I'm not blaming anyone. Just want to get some facts."

"Sure. You already met all the maids, Hokori, Izumi and Kotone. Then there is the cook Sabaku. And Shokubutsu his wife Nana and their daughter Midori. They tend to the gardens and take care of the grounds. Except them there is only me and grandmother."

"I hear you came here recently?" Kakashi asked the old lady.

He smile faded as she looked at him sharply and then her face turned gloomier as she spoke up.

"Oh yes. Just six months ago. My dear husband died in a fire that destroyed our home. I had nowhere else to go and Ayako was kind enough to give shelter to her old grandmother."

"I'm sorry for your loss. I didn't mean to pry."

"That's ok, boy. Why don't you have some tea?" She pushed his cup closer to him.

"No, but thank you. Are there any more guests? Or were there any guests that came regularly within the last few months?"

"Since the troubles started the guests were _reluctant_ to come as the word spread quite fast." Ayako answered with a sad bow of her head. He could see it was troubling her more than he thought in the beginning. "Right now you are our only guests." She added quietly.

"Izumi keeps the guest books, if you want to know more about the guest's comings and goings."

"Thank you. I'll go and talk with the staff now if you don't mind."

"There is a dinner again tonight. Please come." With a quick nod he stood up and walked away. His first stop was in the reception area. He talked to Izumi and he borrowed the guest books to list through them later today.

He stopped quickly to put them in his room and wanted to talk to the other inhabitants of the establishment. As he opened the sliding doors to his room he stopped in his tracks.

Sakura was standing in the middle of the room, her back turned to him and dressed in the yukata she slept in. But what got his attention was her leg. Her long, slim, shapely and naked leg. She had her leg on top of the small table that was in the middle of the room. She put body lotion on her hand and started to spread it on her exposed leg. Kakashi's eyes were glued to her hands as she was moving them from her ankle, slowly moving it higher to her knee, massaging the lotion into her skin. Her hands moving higher over to her thigh, exposing even more of her long leg. He was unable to turn away and he felt his previous determination slipping as he imagined his hands moving over her bare, soft skin that now glistened as it was moist from the body lotion.

When Sakura started to turn around he quickly composed himself and quickly executed set of hand signs and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

All Sakura could see were the remnants of smoke and few books falling down. She snapped her fingers. _Damn it! Seems that wasn't enough. Alright, it's time for some alcohol. _A mischievous smile spread on her face as she started to put together another part of the plan "Seducing Hatake Kakashi".

Hiding behind a tree he looked around hoping no one saw him and that a certain pink haired kunoichi didn't follow him. He let out a sigh of relief and run a hand over his face. _What is wrong with me? It was just a leg. Get a grip you old pervert. Where did the save "Sakura's innocence" go? It would be best to avoid her as much as I can. This might be a tiny bit of a problem when we are sleeping in the same bed and pretending to be engaged couple. _He was starting to think that this trip might have been a bad idea. Why again did we end up in this situation? Oh, right Kaori. With another sigh he walked away from the tree and headed back to talk to the other people living in the ryokan. Work might get his mind of Sakura and her nice legs.

He made just a few steps when a certain busty woman jumped at him with a scream. Well, at least she tried.

"Kashi-kuuuun." Kaori jumped trying to get him into a hug. His reflexes were faster and he stepped to the side and saw Kaori hug the air in the place where he stood mere second before. _That was close._

She pouted and tried to get closer to him one more time. "Oh, you're not even going to hug me? That hurts Kashi-kuuun."

Kakashi side stepped once more and started to back away from her. "Didn't you want to go visit your family?"

"I did. But I would miss you too much. Besides Ayako-san was generous enough and let me stay for a week before I go for the visit." Her smile changed to a predator's and as she talked she kept playing with the hem of her kimono, exposing more skin on her chest.

Kakashi's eyes followed her movement and he knew that is exactly what she wanted. _What's wrong with the women here? Why do they feel the need to show their bodies? Is Ino going to go after me too?_

"Hn." Kakashi turned and started to walk away.

"Where are you going Kashi-kuuun?" Whined Kaori behind him.

"Work." He waved one hand in a gesture of goodbye and he heard a disappointed huff behind him.

Few hours later Kakashi was finished with talking with everyone and had still an hour before the dinner. Not too inclined to see Sakura changing in their room, or being alone with her in any state of address for that matter, he decided to take a small detour. Going behind the ryokan and up to the trees he found a comfortable branch with the remnants of sunshine on it and sat down, taking his book out.

Unfortunately for him the sun came down faster than he might have wanted and needed to get back to their room to change for the diner. Strengthening his mind with resolve he jumped back down and went to their room to find Sakura already dressed in another strikingly beautiful kimono. It was very simple with no distinctive patterns on it but it was the same color as her eyes. She was standing in front of a mirror and putting on a red lipstick. He followed her movements, drawn to her lips, making them very, very sensual and more than kissable.

She noticed him in the reflection of the mirror and smiled at him. "I'm going to help Ino do her hair. Meet me at the diner?" Sakura asked and turned around walking by him and out of the diner. He nodded in response and gulped thinking that just his resolve might not be enough.

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Thank you everyone who reviewed!

I have a small "competition" for you :) As I'm strugling a bit to find the right name for one of the characters I will give the honor to name one of them yourself! Be the one to give the 100th review (and be registered so we can PM) and I will let you name one important male character! :)


	15. Chapter 15

Hi everyone:) The little competition is still up. Be the 100th reviewer (signed in so we can get in touch) and help me name one of the characters in this story :)

So enjoy the story and once again, there is a reason why it's rated M.

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The whole dinner was almost an identical replay of the previous with few exceptions. Kaori was trying to get his attention almost desperately and get to him closer than he would liked. Sakura was trying to get him into a drinking competition wich probably wasn't a fair fight as she was truly the apprentice of Tsunade, even in drinking. Ino was constantly admiring every plate of food and trying to get everyone to agree with her statement that this is the best food they ever tasted. Thank kami that Ayako was quietly eating her share of food and nodding with a complacent smile, but if one would look closer he would notice she was admiring the kimono's everyone was wearing and not paying too much attention to what was going on around her.

Alcohol seemed to be the best entertainment of the possible choices so he agreed to play Sakura's little game. He hoped it would make Kaori less irritating with her constant advances despite Sakura sitting right next to him and Ino less annoying with her constant praises of the food. He had to admit it was very delicious but he didn't have to listen about it the whole evening. So he let Sakura fill his cup over and over with the sake that didn't seem to end. He had quiet a good tolerance of alcohol so by the end of the evening he was not completely drunk but one could not say he was sober either.

Stumbling a bit while walking, Sakura came to support him on their way to their room. Getting himself inside the bathroom he got out of his kimono and into the shower to get himself to sober up a bit as he needed to get some restraint into him. Alcohol probably wasn't a good idea when he will be sleeping in the same bed as Sakura. At least when he is trying to save her _purity._

Letting the lukewarm water run over his head and down his body he felt his muscles to relax and his mind drift to a very pleasant place. In bed with Sakura's long legs tightly holding him around his waist and his hands roaming over her soft, pale skin. Catching himself smirking at that thought he shook his head as if he could shake that thought out of his mind with that motion. Turning the warm water down he trembled at the icy cold water that started to run down his body.

Stopping the water after few minutes and stepping out of the shower he grabbed for a towel but realized there is just one. Very small one that you would use for drying your hands, just big enough to cover the most private parts from both sides. He looked around the bathroom one more time but there were no towels to be seen.

"Ehm. Sakura-chan? Where are the towels?" Kakashi asked through the bathroom door.

"What is it Kakashi? Oh, towels? Sorry I used them all before the dinner. Hokori took them away."

_I'll just dry with this and put on the..._

"Sakura? Where is my kimono?" Kakashi shouted through the bathroom door.

"Hokori took it few minutes ago to get it cleaned."

He could have sworn he heard Sakura snicker. _What exactly is she trying to do? _He dried himself with the little towel the best he could and wrapped it tightly around his waist. Before he went out of the bathroom he realized one very important item. How could it slip his mind? He didn't have his mask. Well it's not THAT a big deal but he didn't like that he was robbed of the choice to decide whether one would see his face or not.

Clutching the towel with one hand to his side he slowly opened the door of the bathroom. He noticed it was dimly lit, as if only few candles illuminated the bedroom in the back. He walked out of the bathroom cautiously and moved closer to the bedroom thinking he will find Sakura with a camera in her hand. What he found made his thoughts stop and his jaw to drop.

Sprawled on the bed lay Sakura with her hair around her head like an areola. She had a light green yukata on but it served more as a quilt under her body as it was opened all the way, revealing her perfectly shaped body. Years of training left her body in perfect shape, even the slightest move made her firm muscles dance under her skin. Here and there were some scars, something unavoidable in their line of work, even if she was a formidable medic not all wounds can be healed without leaving a small scar. Covering the most intimate parts were black lace panties with a black lacy bra that seemed to be of one collection.

This in itself would drive a lesser man crazy but what was even more erotic and arousing for Kakashi was his headband tied securely over her eyes. _This is like the best birthday present ever, just waiting to be unwrapped. Too bad that it's not my birthday. _Her red and welcoming lips were parted and he could see she was breathing deeply with excitement and with anticipation. Her smell of arousal was driving him over the edge. He could not move as he was almost enthralled by her pose and he was sure that if he made even the slightest move he would jump right at her and ravage her body. _Why is she doing this when I'm trying to do the right thing? _

"Sa-Sakura?" His voice sounded raspy, his mouth was dry and his voice quiet as he was afraid something might break if he would talk more loudly.

Sakura's only response was an audible intake of breath as her chest rose up and she bit her bottom lip.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting." Responded Sakura this time in a lower tone.

Kakashi let out a sigh that resembled more a growl as he came to the bed and crawled over Sakura's body, bringing his mouth to her ear.

"_Why _are you doing this?" He whispered in her ear and almost felt how she shivered. He silently inhaled her scent. She smelled like the wind just before a summer storm.

"Because I need _it_." She brought her arms to his back and slowly scratched him with her nails, making goose bumps rise on his skin. "Please Kakashi, it's been too long." Arching her body she tried to make contact with is body but he was too high up.

Trying one more time to get her to send him away, as he was not able to resist anymore, he asked.

"Sakura, are you sure you want to do this?"

He could see her smile before she pulled his head down and whispered in his ear.

"Kakashi. I'm going to start myself if you don't." Proving her point she licked her lips slowly and than licked her finger and moved it down her body, leaving a wet trail behind. He followed her movements and felt his resistance diminishing into nothing. _I can listen to my guilty conscience later, after I enjoy this beautiful waiting woman under me that is willingly throwing herself at me. _

He stopped her hand before it reached its destination between her legs and griped it above her head. Sakura managed to whisper a breathy "Finally" before Kakashi's mouth slammed onto hers.

Pleasure surged through her entire body the moment his mouth touched her, mostly because of the anticipation and the relief she would get. The sexual frustration was getting out of hand lately and this was probably the only way to get rid of it. _Scratching the itch. _

Having her sight blocked proved to be a very good idea. Of course she wanted to see his face but getting the _itch_ was more of pressing matter. No sight meant that her other sense were heightened, her taste, her touch, her smell and sound. Being blindfolded made her realize how he smelled. He smelled of woods, just after the rain when the air is fresh and you can almost touch the smell of the forest.

Those manly sighs that sounded almost like a growl made her shiver all over. Every touch, whether it was hers or his felt ten times more sensitive. This is going to be very, very good. Knowing this feels so good she would have done it ages ago with a blind fold. It's completely different than doing it in the darkness. There you can see the silhouette, the movements of the other person, but like this all she could do was wait for his touch, movement, kiss.

Pressing her lips more to his she licked his lips begging for entrance which he gladly allowed. Brushing their tongues and exploring each other. Sakura let out a small whimper when she felt Kakashi break the contact of their mouths. He moved his kisses lower on her body, kissing her neck and biting a bit as he went down to her collar bone. Moving further down, he kissed his way to her covered breast grazing her nipple with his teeth while moving her bra strap down with his hand. Pulling her bra down under her breasts he kissed his way around her breast and ending his way on her hardened nipple, stroking the other one with his hand. Sucking on her nipple and nibbling at it earned him an appreciative moan from Sakura as she arched her body to push her breast more to him.

Moving his mouth to her other breast he reached down with his hand and caressing her knee and moving higher to her thigh. As he moved his hand in between their bodies he stroked her between her legs, feeling her wetness. Rubbing his fingers over her clitoris he made small waves of pleasure shudder through her body in a weak, but satisfying orgasm. She made a small choking sound trying to bite down her moans of pleasure as she came.

Kakashi stopped for a second, surprised by her reaction to his touch_. Is she really this sensitive? Or is she just so horny? _Continuing with his ministrations he shifted his attention lower to her abdomen, kissing her and tasting her skin with his tongue. Stopping for a while at her navel he pushed his tongue inside. Hearing a giggle from Sakura he looked at her face and did it again. She giggled again and moved her hands to his head to push him away.

"Ticklish?" He smiled at her as she nodded her head and seen her blush._ Is she really blushing at being ticklish? While we are doing this?_ Stopping his thoughts he decided it was better to concentrate on what they were doing right now. Thinking can be saved for later.

Tucking down her panties he revealed shortly cut pink pubic hair. _Hm, so it really is natural? _Not wasting too much time on thinking about her pubic hair he pulled her panties fully off. Kissing his way slowly down to her waiting wet core, her ankle, calf, her knee and then her inner thigh making Sakura squirm with impatience. She could feel his smile as he kissed his way down her thigh. She wanted him to hurry up. She wasn't used to long lovemaking. It was more of get what she wanted and get out. This kind of long foreplay wasn't something she'd seek out in her previous 'relationship'. She was too impatient to let herself wait for her release but being the blindfolded here she had to submit to Kakashi's pace. On the other hand she had to admit that when he finally came to lick her pink pearl it was that much pleasurable. _What's with the dog boys? They sure do enjoy licking. But I have to admit Kakashi is a lot better at this than Kiba._ Letting out and appreciative moan she let her hands wind in Kakashi's hair and slowly tugged him up. She was too horny to wait any more.

Feeling his breath on her face she smiled and whispered. "I want to feel you inside."

Taking the 'subtle hint' he kissed her and eased himself between her legs.

" Impatient as ever, huh?" He asked before positioning himself in front of her entrance. He knew she will want to say something in return so he pushed himself inside her with one smooth trust that made her moan loudly in and say in a strangled voice something that sounded like start of a 'yes' with a finish of long 'ah'.

Her legs wrapped around his waist to make him trust deeper inside her while she pulled his head closer and found his mouth. Getting into a comfortable pace she growled with frustration and before he knew it she turned them around. Straddling him with a satisfied smile she started to dictate her own rhythm driving both of them nearer to their release. Kakashi had a very nice view of her round breast bouncing up and down and the way her skin glistened with perspiration. Knowing his release will be coming soon he placed his hand on Sakura's breast and pinched her nipple. Sakura's loud 'ah' made him know this was the right way to go. He used one hand to pinch her nipples and the other, placed on her hip, to help her with the movement of her pelvis.

Within few more moments Sakura came with a strong orgasm convulsing her body. He put both his hands on her hips to make her move her hips few more times as he came right after her insides gripped his length. Sakura partly collapsed on him waiting to catch her breath.

After she relaxed and her breathing calmed down she pulled herself up, releasing him from inside of her. Coming to the side of the bed she put her feet down, pulling the head protector off. She stood up and made her way out of the bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Asked Kakashi.

"I'll just have a quick shower. Go to sleep. You don't have to wait for me." Sakura said without turning around.

"Hm." Was all Kakashi said.

Before she went inside the bathroom he could hear her say, with a hint of smile. "Thank you, Kakashi."

_Strange, she probably isn't the cuddle-after-sex type. I would have thought she is one of those. Seems I really don't know her that much anymore._

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So? How was it? I'm curious what you think about it. And don't worry, Sakura's reaction will be explained in the next chapter ;)


	16. Chapter 16

I hope you you are happy that I managed to write this chapter just few days after posting the last one :) I certainly am ^^ Hm, I want to apologize for this chapter's angsty feeling, but there are some important POV for the character/relationship development so please don't leave me and my story *sniff sniff* I swear it get's funny by the end and there is more fun and FUN to come in the next chapter.

So enjoy and don't forget to review as the little "competition" is on. Just 8 reviews to go until the shiny 100 where you can name a character in this story :)

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Closing the door behind her she let out a shaky sigh. _Wait. Just wait. _She took off the bra that was still around her waist and walked into the shower. Letting the warm water run down her face and her body she let her body tremble and shake. _It's okay under the water. No one can tell droplets of water apart from tears, and that's as it should be. No regrets, just memories. _She gently unbraided her hair and washed it with a shampoo. After rinsing it she stepped out of the shower not bothering to dry with anything even if there were any towels and she sat down on a small stool and grabbed a hair brush.

Trembling from the cold. _Or emotions._ Brushing her unbraided long hair she thought about how to approach this situation. Her previous 'partner' always left after she went to the shower, understanding that it was his time to go. Better said they were mostly at his place and she left shortly after she got what she needed. She never wanted to stay in the same bed, cuddled until they fell asleep. That wasn't something she wanted. That was something people in love did. And she wasn't in love. It was just a release. The release she needed and the pleasure she took never letting it grow into something bigger.

But now? They were staying in the same room and she will need to go back to the bed eventually. Her own body had betrayed her. She was too sexually frustrated to even think straight, not thinking about all the consequences. She didn't regret the act itself just that she couldn't get away, she hated that she couldn't leave.

She waited seated and trembling from the cold until her hair and body dried. When she deemed her hair dry enough she brushed it for a last time and divided the long part of her hair into three equal parts and started to braid each one of them. Letting the last droplets of water or tears dry on her face. _This is exactly why I needed that time alone I planned. But instead I'm here doing stupid things. It was today, wasn't it. I almost forgot. All I wanted to do this week was to be closed inside my apartment and drink wine and watch stupid chick flicks with happy endings. I wanted to be alone so I could get depressed and get myself back up alone, without an audience. _

Just once in a while when _that memory came, or the anniversary_, she took a few days off and had her time alone. Remembering and allowing herself to cry and to allow the misery of her past take her into depression. That was her way for the past three years. It became a sort of a cleansing ritual for her, to have a shower that would clean not only her body, but her emotions. She needed this so she could have them in check the rest of the time. She was a shinobi and she couldn't let emotions get the better of her. She couldn't be weak. Not anymore.

Usually she was able to push back the memories and unwanted emotions but having her eyes blindfolded proved to be not such a good idea. By the end she caught herself imagining someone else under her, touching her. That is what triggered this small _'incident'_ as she came to call them.

Finished with braiding her hair she looked in the mirror and let the last tear drop run down her cheek. Drying it off with her hand she straitened and looked at her reflection. Straightening her back, brushing her hair behind her ear and forcing a smile on her face. Trying one more time with the smile so it would look more natural. This time she was pleased with the outcome and with that smile she pushed the storm of emotions in her back deep inside where they belonged. She felt tired, drained by this small _'incident'_. She just needed to sleep it off, like a hangover and tomorrow she would be just fine.

Picking up the bra that she discarded earlier from the floor she went back to the dark bedroom. Her panties and the light green yukata lay on her side of the bed and Kakashi on the other side, facing away from her. She could see he put on a sleeveless shirt with an attached mask back in its place. Setting the panties aside she put the yukata on and slipped in the bed.

As her head hit the pillow she felt the shift in the mattress as a warm body pressed to her back and a hand pulled her closer over her abdomen.

"Are you ok?" Kakashi asked softly.

"Hm." Was Sakura's answer.

"Are we ok?" Asked Kakashi after another minute not sure what was Sakura thinking about. He didn't like the way she left the room and that she was in the shower for almost one hour. He liked her and didn't want things to be too awkward between them because he couldn't hold it in his pants. _Well she basically offered herself, but that didn't mean he couldn't decline. Whom am I kidding? That pose was too damn hot to ignore and to just walk away. _

"Hm._"_ She didn't want to say more, afraid that the emotions would spill out again. The temptation to pretend it's_ him _behind her was just too strong to counter so she decided to just close her eyes and dream just for a while.

* * *

"Good night." Sakura said sleepily as she gently squeezed his hand and moved it under her chin, wiggling a bit to make herself more comfortable against the warm body behind her.

Morning came with a faint noise of falling rain outside. It was the perfect weather and time to just laze about the whole day or just do everything on a whim. Feeling much better Sakura carefully untangled Kakashi from herself and took out her small notebook from her pack and went to the small garden. Taking an apple from the table she sat down on a small cushion under the small roof of their porch and watched the circles on the water formed by the falling rain. It was peaceful and the smell in the air was so calming she almost fell asleep while sitting.

She scribbled a bit in her notebook putting down few ideas she had about the serum she was working on. It seemed alcohol lessened few of the side effects and she had an idea how to integrate it into the serum. She was so engrossed in the writing that she didn't notice Kakashi sitting on the opposite side of the open door. He leaned his back on the door frame, propping his hand on a bent knee as the other one lay stretched in front of him. He watched her for a minute silently as she had her pink brows creased in concentration. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice anything around her.

_She changed, matured and I didn't even notice. I did see her but I didn't notice._ It was true he distanced himself since she became an adult. The truth was he didn't know how to deal with her when she was just a girl and when she grew up it was even more difficult for him. She reminded him too much of Rin. He didn't want to teach in the first place and to get a group of genin so similar to how his team was when he was young, it stirred up too many memories. After Sasuke left he was glad Tsunade took her in as her apprentice as he was struggling a lot to teach her something useful. Thanks to the Hokage she became an exceptional kunoichi and even surpassed Tsunade as a medic.

She helped him when he came bloodied and beaten up from missions without a second glance, but after she healed him he left with a thanks. He was sorry to use her this way, she didn't ask anything in return, ever. He had too many regrets in his life and it was about time he stopped making more. Sakura seemed as a good enough woman, person to get to know better. Maybe even let her know _him_, if she wanted. It was a long time since he felt like letting someone in. Especially a woman. He found them too troublesome and difficult to deal with. He did understand what they needed in the bedroom department but it was too tiresome to deal with their mood swings and the way they wanted to cling to him outside the bed. He just wasn't the dating type.

He was more of a spend-some-time-outside-the-bed-once-in-a-while type. That meant that when he found someone interesting enough he is willing to spend some time with her other than on different places in his apartment, or hers. Those kind of relationships didn't last long, usually the women got bored of him trying to make him to commit more to their relationship. Maybe it was just that they weren't the right person he wanted to commit to, if he was even able to.

His mind moved to yesterday and once again he had to admit that Sakura has really, really matured._ In all the right places._

"What are you scribbling there?" He asked aware that she noticed him sitting there but just ignored him and was still busy in putting down some notes.

"I'm just making a sketch of the seating order." She replied without taking her eyes off of her notebook.

"Seating order?" He asked carefully hoping she isn't really doing what she was implying.

"Do you think Ayako would mind sitting next to Genma?"

"Why would she sit next to him?"

"He is one of your best friends isn't he?"

"Yes, but why are you asking?"

"If he is your best friend you surely want him on your wedding don't you? And Kaori can sit next to Tenzou. I'm sure she will just love the whole ceremony. But we should do it as soon as possible so I don't start showing. I don't want to be marry in a big white sack instead of a dress."

"Eh, Sa-Sakura-chan?" He tried to stop her unable to tell if she was joking or if she meant what she was saying.

"Yes, Kashi-kuuun? You don't want your ex to be on the wedding?" She couldn't hold a straight face anymore as she saw the panic in Kakashi's eyes. He really wasn't sure if she was joking. Sakura collapsed in fits of laughter.

"Yes, yes very funny Sakura." Kakashi grumbled but she could hear a smile in his voice.

"Sorry Kakashi, I just couldn't resist." She replied drying few tears from her eyes. "You should have seen your face."

"Oh I have. But you didn't." He winked at her and let his famous eye crease lighten his face.

"Is that a challenge I hear?" She looked outside and as the sun broke through the clouds, the rain stopped.

"Why don't we have a spar? I could use some light training. If I win I get to see your face."

"And if you don't?" He asked and watched her intently as she slowly crawled closer to him, her scent mixing with a slight scent of arousal. She came closer and whispered in his ear.

"We can do page 95." She said in a low, sensual tone.

He almost let a drool slip out of the corner of his mouth as he imagined that scene with Sakura. He had to mentally slap himself to get back to reality.

"Let me get a quick shower." He almost ran for the bathroom and he could hear Sakura giggle as he jumped right under the cold water.

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Thank you all for reading, reviewing, faving and all the alerts this story (and me) got. It's really amazing how many people read this story. It really makes me happy and I can't stop checking my email every 5 minutes after I post a new chapter :D

Anyway I never thought this story would get so big. Really, in the beginning I had only that festival scene as the base of the story and it was supposed to be a short story but it got kind of big and the whole story plot I have planned, let's just say that we are barely in the middle of the whole story. So you have a lot to look forward to :) There are still few twists and turns and surprises on the way so I hope you will stay with me until it's finished.


	17. Chapter 17

Hello :) I'm back! Hope you're happy and that you'll enjoy the story!

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The forest that was now silent usually chirped with the life of its inhabitants. The silence spreading throughout the area was almost eerie. All the animals and insects even the plants were silent due to the feeling of anticipation that one could feel in the air. The early morning sun was shining through the leaves, casting moving shadows on the ground and on the two figures standing under them without a motion. One could hear only a splatter of rain drops, falling down from top of the tree's leaves on the ground, here and there.

The distance between the figures was mere three meters and both were standing, ready to jump at each other. Sakura was dressed in her black shorts with a simple white tank top and her black boots, forgoing the wrappings on her thigh she settled with a small pack of kunai and shurikens on her hip. To finish off her attire she had her black gloves snugly fitting her hands tightly squeezed in fists. She had a smirk on her face, willing herself to give her best. She really, really wanted to see his face now. Not that the other alternative of their small 'competition' isn't tempting, but she had her pride and her curiosity was getting the best of her.

Kakashi was dressed in his typical jounin outfit, without the leg wrappings and his west. He had his head protector still down over his sharingan. Sakura jumped forward attacking him up-front with her fist. Faking a move to the right Kakashi quickly turned around and let Sakura move behind him. He lightly tapped her butt and turned around to face her next attack.

"Hey!" Sakura turned around and sent him a scowl.

Kakashi just gave her an eye crinkle and she knew he was smiling like an idiot under that mask of his. She tried to attack him few more times but every time he deflected her attack and just went for her ass. She let him do that few more times as she had to admit that it kind of turned her on. There weren't many people that dared to touch her like that outside the bed.

After the few attacks she knew how to predict his moves and faked an attack but instead of going for his head she used his extended hand to jump behind him and slapped him on his ass, moving quickly away from him.

Unable to contain herself she smiled like a mischievous child. Her laughter rang through the forest.

Kakashi was not able to fully concentrate on their little spar, so he wasn't taking it too seriously._ How can one concentrate when she has that outfit? Those small black shorts will be mine demise. _

He was too preoccupied thinking about the previous night and of more ways how to pull her shorts and shirt off so he could have his way with her right then and there.

Now they were both standing opposite each other again waiting for the other to move.

"So, why did you do that yesterday?" Kakashi started a conversation being curious about her intentions. He wouldn't like another clingy woman on his back. Sakura he knew in her childhood dreamed of love and romance. She was certainly one who put feelings into actions, and having sex meant some kind of commitment for a woman like that.

She shrugged her shoulders and attacked him with swift punches. After a short exchange of blows, panting a bit she answered. "To be totally honest..." She answered with a devilish smile and jumped at him. With a quick exchange of blows she found herself pushed into a tree with his forearm pressed against her collar bone to keep her in place.

Sakura moved closer to whisper into his ear. "I was so horny that I was ready to volunteer for the seduction missions."

The moment she said it he was so surprised that he loosened his grip a bit and she fully exploited this advantage and pushed him off her and crouched and went for his feet trying to get him to the ground. He reacted fast enough and jumped away from her outstretched leg.

"Why not find someone.. less hazardous? You never know how the guy will look like. Or if it is a man for that matter."

Launching another attack on Kakashi, Sakura explained between punches. "Well, most men in Konoha find me a bit intimidating I guess. They know me by reputation, being the Hokage's apprentice and all. Most shinobi recognize me easily; blame it on the pink hair. Having anonymous sex with someone who knows who you are is a bit hard, don't you think? Besides they don't know how to keep their mouths shut. And civilians lack.. stamina." She added after a short pause to find the right word. Starting to pant after the exchange she decided it was time to get a bit more serious as she finally got her muscles to warm up enough.

"One night stands? Why not a relationship?" He really didn't like to pry but he _really_ didn't want to continue with _this, _whatever _this_ was if she expected something from him. He didn't want her to think that this could ever be a real relationship just after one night.

"Let's just say that having a friend with benefits is more than enough."

She knew why he asked that and she knew that she has given him the right answer. She really didn't want a relationship. She smirked, getting ready to beat the crap out of him and launched her assault. He always underestimated her and now was her chance to show him just how strong she has become.

"And it's probably tough to find someone who enjoys being slapped on their backside." Kakashi mused aloud.

Sakura blushed like a schoolgirl that was caught staring at her crush when she remembered that she didn't get a chance to explain just what exactly happened.

"It was just a reflex. There was a bug crawling on your ass. I hate those creepy things."

"Sure thing. We can call it a 'bug' if it makes you feel better." He gave her an amused eye crinkle that drove her just crazy in this precise moment. _He is sooo going to get it._

She came at him really fast. He wasn't prepared; her moves were quicker and more precise, aiming at his body and face. _Was she holding back until now? When did she become this quick? Or did I get slower? _They haven't trained together in a very long time and he really didn't know how her skills progressed. He though she spent most of her time in the hospital. _Seems she still trained.. ugh. That was close. Okay, no time for daydreaming. It's time I get serious or else I might lose more than the bet. _

They exchanged quite few blows, kicks and other attacks for more than twenty minutes when they were both panting heavily and still the winner was undecided. They jumped away from each other and tried to steady their breathing and form a new strategy. Kakashi wasn't one to lose willingly so he decided that it's time to get really serious so he pushed his head protector up to reveal his slowly spinning sharingan.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Sakura exclaimed not believing he would to that.

"We never agreed on rules. And technically this isn't cheating." Giving her the eye crinkle and a hidden smile.

"We agreed on taijutsu." Sakura tried to protest against his obvious cheating.

"Technically it's not cheating. I'm just using both of my eyes. I can't help it that I don't know how to turn it off. " He sounded really amused and that ticked Sakura off.

Within a split of a second she was in front of him and only thanks to his sharingan and lifelong trained reflexes he jumped out of her way in time. Her chakra laden fist connected with the spot he was standing in, creating a large and deep crater.

"S-Sakura? Don't you think that's going a bit overboard?" Kakashi tried to negotiate for his life.

Sakura looked around at the crater she was now standing in. "Just a little bit?" She daftly scratched her head a bit embarrassed that she let her emotions take the better of her once again.

Kakashi pushed his headband down again and he could see that Sakura's glowing chakra disappeared from her fists.

"Call it a truce?" Kakashi waited for Sakura to come closer with his hand outstretched waiting for a handshake.

She walked closer letting her guard down. Big mistake. Kakashi used the opportunity to snatch her by her hand so quickly she didn't have time to process it until she was pinned to the nearest tree with her hands held firmly in place over her head.

A triumphant grin plastered on his face, at least the part she could see, and his body pressed hard against her. She knew the fight was over the moment she felt his firm body against her and the familiar feeling in her stomach surfaced. She really did want to see his face but thinking about anything else right now besides sex was utterly impossible.

He leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear.

"I win." Fully aware of her smell of arousal mixed with salty smell of their sweat he molded his body closer to hers.

"You cheated." Sakura tried to protest weakly as she felt his other hand snake over her body. She kept still, waiting for his next touch. Going from the top of her thigh over the side of her ass and moving higher over her waist to the side of her breast, she felt her body warming just by this simple touch. It was mostly the anticipation of what his next touch will be.

He moved his hand to her head protector and started to pull it down.

"Kakashi…" Sakura tried to protest against his apparent cheating but the moment she was blindfolded she felt his naked lips touch hers. In that moment all the protests died down. _I can see his face later. After we have delicious sex against this tree. _She moved her tongue against his and arched her body when the tingle of excitement stirred in her groin. Kakashi moved his mouth to her jaw trailing wet kisses to the spot right below her right ear.

"What about page 95?" Sakura asked with a breathy voice.

"That can wait." Kakashi said in between kissing and nibbling on her earlobe.

"Couldn't agree more." Sakura took his face into her hand and moved him to her mouth to give him another kiss; she wanted to taste him more. _He really knows how to kiss a girl. _Sakura pushed her feet up embracing him with her legs around his waist, effectively bringing his hardened member closer to her core. _Kami, how I missed sex._ With that thought she wriggled to get her hands free so she could embrace him. He let go of her hands and moved his body closer to hers so she wouldn't fall, bringing one of his hands under her ass, making Sakura moan in appreciation.

"How much do you like those shorts?" Kakashi took out a kunai and had it already pressed against the dark fabric.

"Don't you dare Kakashi." She quickly grabbed his hand with the kunai. "Am I supposed to walk back naked?"

Sakura could swear she heard him mumble something like troublesome when she felt him untangling her legs and setting her down. Before she knew it he had her pants pulled down and her back pinned back against the tree and his mouth slammed back against hers. She had to admit that she liked when man took the initiative once in a while. With Kiba it was always her who led their 'meetings'. She liked being in control and this was somehow freeing. Being blindfolded and pinned against the tree with no way of knowing what her partner would do next was more than exhilarating.

"What about the shirt?" She could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Kakashi! Just move it out of the way! Why do you want to cut everything?"

"I'm a ninja. I like cutting." Saying like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

_Men. Male shinobi even worse. _She stopped thinking the moment she felt her tank top moved down to uncover her breasts. Too bad she had wrappings to keep them in place.

This time without asking he used his kunai and cut them off of her.

"I'll buy you new ones." He said and started to kiss her senseless before she could protest. Finally moving to her bare breast Sakura had little will to speak about her ruined wrappings as he lifted her higher so he could get better access to her breasts. The hard bark roughly pressed into her partly exposed back but it was promptly replaced with the tingling sensation of his skillful tongue circling around her hardened nipple. Another throaty moan escaped her lips as he grazed her nipple with his teeth. It was a strange sensation, both a bit painful and a arousing as well. She liked it.

When she felt that she couldn't take any more he let her fall a bit down with his hardened member waiting for her entrance. Her breath hitched when she felt him press into her and they both sighed when he filled her. Sakura threw her head back and Kakashi used it to kiss her under her right ear.

He started with a steady pace and Sakura was overwhelmed with the two different sensations, the rough bark grazing her skin and Kakashi filling her inside over and over. She had problem to keep her legs locked behind his back to keep her in place. Her climax was approaching fast and when he tucked at her nipple it sent her overboard. She screamed a throaty 'yes' over and over until her climax subsided. Kakashi kept pushing himself into her as her walls kept clamping around his penis and within few more thrusts he came inside her.

They almost fell as Sakura released her legs and Kakashi was still overpowered by his own climax. Sakura got her thoughts back together and quickly removed her head protector from her eyes but to her great regret she only saw his mask moved back in place with his finger still under the piece of fabric. _Damn it! Just a second too late. _

When Kakashi saw Sakuras expression a genuine smile spread over his features. Her hair was messy from the fight, and sex, her cheeks were flushed from the orgasm he had given her not too long ago and a slight pout on her lips that she couldn't see his face. It was almost adorable, if Kakashi was one to use such words.

He almost giggled aloud so he fake-coughed.

"Ehm. We should probably get back." He turned around to walk back to the ryokan when he heard a mumble from behind. It sounded something like 'I'm still going to see your face you cheater' and 'there really was a creepy bug'.

* * *

Well I know there isn't much storyline in here but I'm sure most of you enjoyed it anyway ;) *wink wink* Well only 3 reviews until 100th. It seems as if you are afraid of being the 100th reviewer but don't be. If you don't want to you don't have to think up the name. It was more of a suggestion than an obligation if you know what I mean :) so please don't take it too seriously :D

I just want you to enjoy the story and help (my lazy self) to think up a name in the process :D

So please don't forget to let me know what you think of this chapter ;)

Yours truly, the Author :D


	18. Chapter 18

Dear readers. I AM SORRY. Truly. I was just busy with life and I my mind was so preoccupied with other things that I just had no desire to write accompanied with a minor writers block. So here we are a month later and I hope I still have few fans left out there that will read it :(

So sorry for taking so long. Hopefully the next one will be up within 2 weeks :)

Enjoy!

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Jumping silently into their secluded garden, Kakashi slid the doors open and walked in. There was already breakfast waiting for them on the small table in the middle of the room. Kakashi smirked under his mask. _We must have been longer than I thought. Time flies by when you're having fun. _

Sakura walked in and ate a small piece of omelet from one plate.

"Mmm. Everything here is so delicious. I'm taking a shower. Leave some for me." She winked at him and left for the shower.

Taking off his gloves he sat down to eat his miso soup when he noticed nicely piled books near the entrance to their room. He got up and took them to the small table to browse through them while eating.

Pulling down his mask he ate the mouth-watering miso soup. Maybe only his mother's soup was this good. He actually had to stop reading to fully enjoy the taste of the soup. It really brought back memories. It was actually possible that it was the same recipe that his mother had. She did grow up here after all.

"Kakashi? Would you help me please?" Sakura's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Hm?" He asked and tugged his mask back into place. He walked to the doors to the bathroom and opened them.

"Just hold this for a second." Sakura pushed a smaller mirror into his hands. She was just in her underwear and her back was facing the big mirror on the wall. She was looking over some bruises on her back. She looked back at Kakashi and moved his hand higher so she could get a better view of her back in the reflection of the small mirror.

"I can heal it quicker when I see what I'm doing." With that she moved her hand to her back and he could see her green chakra seeping out of her hand and moving down her back to the bruises.

He watched silently as they vanished from her white skin and looked her in the eyes when she finished. Feeling of guilt came crushing down on him as he saw those bruises. He knew she didn't complain and that she enjoyed it but still he shouldn't have been so rough. He mentally slapped himself and made a mental note to not hurt her again.

He still didn't fully overcome the feeling of guilt from sleeping with his young ex-student. _He is the older one here, he should be more responsible and be able to stop this 'relationship'. _Even though Sakura initiated this, he should have fought more, protested more, he should have made the adult decision not to sleep with an ex-student. _Event though she is an extremely beautiful, sexy and curvy ex-student. _It never brought anything good and there is no way this can continue when they get back to Konoha. He didn't mind people talking bad behind his back. He was used to it, but he didn't want to put Sakura through this 'public' humiliation. They need to talk about this in the evening that they cannot continue in this. _At least outside this week. I'm still a man and a pervy one at that. Can I really say no to her tonight? Let's just enjoy these few days and see where it goes. _

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you."

She looked at him trying to figure out why exactly was he apologizing for. "You didn't hurt me Kakashi."

She pulled him closer to her and gave him a quick peck on his masked lips. _He was like a child sometimes. _Quickly exiting the bathroom as not to start something that might leave her with a walk of an old cowboy she rushed to the bedroom to put some clothes on. Even the small touch of his masked lips sent shivers down her spine. She couldn't wait for the evening to come so she could enjoy more of that heat he was able to stir in her body. She still thought it was from the lack of any touch during the long eight months of abstinence. She could feel heat rushing to her cheeks so she had to mentally calm herself down a bit or she will have to get another cold shower.

As she calmed a bit down she dressed in her old black shorts and her red shirt finished with her old skirt. Even after years she felt comfortable in her old ninja attire even though she used it more as a casual wear at home than on missions.

As she got out of the bedroom she saw Kakashi sitting by the small table, his back turned to her. She saw his hand move up and pulled his mask back to place, putting down the empty bowl of miso soup.

_Damn it! Late again._ _I'm sooo going to see his face today. _Her smile turned to a mischievous grin as she formed a plan in her head. _He is going to be sorry that he cheated in the morning. _

She sat down on the opposite side and she could see his eye narrowing in apprehension from her smile. That kind of smile never meant anything good. Her stomach grumbled as the mouth-watering smell reached her nose. Without further ado she started munching on different dishes not sure which one she liked more.

Half through the meal she saw Kakashi reading the guest books that he left here in a hurry yesterday.

"Yoth don nee so ree em'." Sakura said through pieces of food in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed the rest and explained once again after seeing his expression. He had a raised eyebrow saying 'was I supposed to understand that?'.

"You don't need to read them. I already went through them when you left them here. All the guests stopped coming in suddenly four months ago. After a certain date there are no new entries. Just us. Isn't that strange?"

Sakura stuffed her mouth with more food and quickly swallowed so she could say more.

"The establishment was full almost constantly up until that certain time. I find it strange that the word about the ghost would spread so fast and to every regular or occasional guest."

Kakashi quickly flipped through the books to check the names of the last guest if there is someone that might seem suspicious.

"Youve maging sta ace."

"Sakura. You really shouldn't talk with your mouth full." Kakashi told her without looking up from the books.

"The food is so good I can't help it and I said 'You're making that face.'"

"What face?"

"That one. Your scheming-thinking-detective face. What are you thinking?"

"I'm not sure what but something is amiss here and I don't think it's entirely because of a ghost."

"My feeling exactly. It's strange that not even the people interested in ghosts wouldn't come and stay at a haunted place. And if you look at the books, this place was packed with guests. You could hardly find an empty room. It's almost as if someone didn't want people coming here, doesn't it?"

Sakura mused and her voice became silent as if someone could overhear.

"Hm. Well I already talked to the people working here. They don't know anything helpful and their stories add up. Except that they are too perfect."

"So they are lying?" Sakura managed to swallow the food before talking this time.

"I'm really not sure. They seem to be telling the truth but not exactly." Kakashi ran his hand through his already messy hair in a gesture of frustration. "I'm good at reading people, but with these people it's as if they were telling the truth and a lie at the same time. Which is not really possible."

He listed through the books more, hoping to find something that could help him sort out this situation.

"Just keep an eye, or ear out while interacting with the locals. They might slip some information unintentionally."

Sakura slammed her palms into the table. "Now I remembered..."

"Sakuraaaaaaaa-chaaaan." Came a high pitched voice from outside of their room that effectively cut Sakura's exclamation short. Her eyes widened and she visibly paled. _There was only one occasion that Ino calls me 'chan'._

"Kakashi, please don't let her take me!" Sakura jumped to Kakashi and held him by his shirt under his neck.

Ino was already knocking on the door and without awaiting a reply she entered. Sakura's wide eyes moved from Kakashi to see Ino enter the room with a smile plastered all over her face.

Kakashi could see Sakura trembling a little and a sweat could be seen on her face. _Just what is going on? _

Ino came closer and picked up Sakura's boots and shoved them to Sakura. She didn't wait for her to put them on and started to drag her out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi asked really curious as to what would be so terrifying that Ino could do to send Sakura into such a state.

Sakura just whimpered and Ino turned around with a wide smile.

"Shopping!"

"Ah. Shopping." As the understanding of the word sunk in he shuddered a bit. He hated shopping as much as an M rated story without smut. _Really what was the point of that? Why do they even rate it M if there is no mature content? _

He could _almost_ pity Sakura that she was dragged to go shopping. The emphasis on the word 'almost' was crucial at this point. He smiled and his eye crinkled in his signature expression.

"Enjoy it sweetie, and buy something nice for the evening." Kakashi gave her a wink wich earned him a glare of death from Sakura. He was fighting not to laugh out loud while she was in hearing distance but he was going to pay for this betrayallater either way. This was too much fun to just let it slide.

"Don't worry. I'll help her find something _nice_." Ino winked and waved a good-bye to Kakashi.

Sakura opened her mouth not believing that he didn't help her when she was being tortured.

"Kakashiiiiiiiiiiiiiii..." a wail escaped Sakura as she disappeared behind the doors.

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Hope you liked it and don't forget to review! :) Thank you all who reviewed/faved/alerted the previous chapters!

Thank you for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

I'm trying to make up for the absence of new chapters during the last almost 2 months so I hope you will enjoy this chapter and HOPEFULLY there will be another chapter this weekend :)

Enjoy!

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The small town was buzzing with people going about their duties. The town had one big commercial street where all the shops, bars and restaurants were situated and in the middle of the big street were market stalls filled with various fresh fruits and vegetables and small trinkets as well. It seemed that the village was divided between two occupations. One half was for tourists and the other was farmers. Just beyond the town border you could see the never ending fields of different crops.

Sakura was putting one foot in front of the other rather mechanically. Not really putting any will behind the action. As the town came closer into view her steps slowed even more. The constant chatter of Ino kept her mind somehow occupied even though she didn't really concentrate on the content. She rather concentrated on not hearing the details so what she actually heard was 'Sabaku blah blah blah Me blah blah Sabaku blah blah sexy blah'.

Ino tended to get into more details than Sakura wanted to know so she learned a long time ago a small skill of tuning out Ino's rumbling and still be able to grasp the general thought behind the chatter so she can respond to it.

When they came near the first shop Ino stopped talking about her new _love object _and started squeaking about the contents of the shop. This is when Sakura let out a sigh of pain. _This is when the torture really starts._ She will have to listen to all the things she should buy and will have to comment the different things Ino will shove in her face and make her try them on and sometimes when her will falters she is forced to buy selected items even though she doesn't have use for most of them.

Most women loved shopping, or at least liked it. Sakura wasn't one of them. She merely tolerated the activity. She was a real tomboy at heart and shopping for clothes and small trinkets or make-up just weren't something she enjoyed. All the non-shinobi attire she had in her closet was Ino's doing. Sometimes she was happy that she had something else to wear – clothes for undercover missions, sexy underwear - but of course she would never admit it even if her life depended on it.

After being dragged to every single shop they passed Sakura's patience ran almost out she looked at Ino who was currently squealing about some purple shoes that seemed more like a torture device than made for walking.

She wanted to groan aloud to release some part of her frustration but she thought twice about drawing attention to herself while shopping with Ino. She did it once and that was enough to learn not to do that if she wanted to keep some money and less useless clothes.

Ino finally let the shoes go and went out of the shop making sure Sakura is following. Sakura was looking around trying to find some medical emergency that she could use as a way to get out of Ino's nicely manicured clutches. She sighed with disappointment as she saw no bloody incident, no choking and no broken bones.

"Saaakura-chaaaaan." Ino turned to her with a wide grin.

_Oh, no. I made a sound. I hate when she calls me 'chan'. It never means anything good. _Sakura turned to her with fear in her eyes. She noticed her wide grin and followed her hand to her finger pointing at something across the road.

_Oh, hell no! _That was the first thing that came to Sakura's mind when she saw the shop Ino was pointing to. It was colorful and lacy and there were also leathery things. It was a lingerie shop. The last trip to this kind of shop earned her the black underwear she had on just yesterday. That is when her mind went back to the plan "Unmask Kakashi" and her fearful glance turned to a mischievous one. _He will soooooo regret cheating in the morning AND not helping me when Ino came to drag me away._ Sakura almost snickered at the formed plan she had for tonight.

She quickly hid her smirk because encouraging Ino in shopping was never a good idea so she put a slight frown on her face and followed Ino inside. Let's hope that this will be the last shop.

Four hours later and Sakura was free of Ino and finally back at the Ryokan. She closed the doors behind her and for a minute contemplated barricading the room so Ino won't be able to get to her, but she dropped the idea when she realized just how much work it would be and she was dead tired from the 'shopping trip from hell' as she came to call it after three hours of this torture.

Sakura kicked her boots off and walked to the bed and slumped on top. Kakashi was nowhere to be seen and the dinner will be served in about two hours so she decided that a nice nap was in order. After almost falling asleep she remembered a very nice warm pool of water waiting for her sore muscles just outside the doors. She quickly stood up and was about to change into her swimsuit when her eyes fell on the discarded bag that she purchased. She picked it up and went to the bathroom and hid it under the sink in the small cabinet.

Sakura changed into her swimsuit and almost jumped into the warm, streaming water, letting out a loud exhale as her sore muscles started to relax. She was so enjoying the feel of the water when she heard an amused chuckle from her left. She snapped her eyes open and saw Kakashi soaking in the water with a book in his hand and his mask in place.

"Do you even shower with that thing on?" Sakura asked her treacherous ex-sensei.

"Sometimes. Depends with whom I'm showering." Kakashi answered and gave her an eye crinkle. That remark earned him a I'm-not-amused stare from Sakura and he could swear he heard her mumble something along the lines of "masked treacherous pervert".

Sakura closed her eyes again marveling in the feel of the warm water surrounding her body. It relaxed not only her muscles but her mind too. The only sound was a soft bubbling of water and an occasional cry of a bird from the forest. She was starting to doze off when Kakashi broke the silence.

"Sakura."

"Hm?" She replied without opening an eye.

"Ehm," he cleared his throat,"about yesterday... and today morning."

"What about it?"

"I think we shouldn't continue with it." Kakashi said with a slight hesitation.

Sakura cracked one eye open and looked at him. "Why?"

"Because it's not right." Kakashi said with not much certainty in his voice.

"How old am I Kakashi?"

"Twenty something?"

"Do you see me as a child?"

"No." Kakashi said looking at her chest area.

"Do you see me as your student?"

Kakashi's weak resolve was crumbling under her questions. It's true that he wasn't her teacher for a long time, true that she was a grown woman. Yes he was older than her but the age difference wasn't that big. _Still I'm an old perverted man. _A voice of conscious chirped in his head._ Why am I not fighting more? This isn't just a fling with a stranger. This is Sakura. My ex-student. I said it now didn't I? She isn't my student anymore, it was almost ten years since she stopped being one._

"No."

"Then where is the problem?" Kakashi just silently looked at her not really sure himself what he should say that would make her change her mind about this, and his for that matter.

"Is it really about what people would say? Because I don't care about that." Sakura continued. "I'm not asking for a relationship and it won't hurt my standing as a head medic and what I do in my private time is none of anyone's business. Surely we are not the only ones sleeping together with such an age difference. Your friend Genma is a prime example of that. Do you know what his nickname is?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow at her in a gesture of not knowing the answer.

"Don't tell me you don't know that he sleeps around. Especially with girls in age range of 18-25. Girls call him the Virgin Killer. He even 'killed' Ino before her first seduction mission.

"You gotta be kidding me." Kakashi said with clearly not trusting her words.

"Nope. She lied to Tsunade about being experienced and she wasn't really sure what to expect from the mission so she went to Genma to helpe her with her 'problem'." Sakura smiled at the memory of Ino telling her about her plan. Sakura told her to go to Tsunade and tell her the truth but Ino refused and rather went to Genma. Even though she was a flirt she didn't sleep around much. At least until she was eighteen, after that Sakura lost the count.

Of course he knew he slept around but he had no idea that he did these kinds of 'services'. Though they were friends he never heard Genma say names of the woman – girls – he slept with.

"Did _you _need... help?" He asked uncertain that he wants to hear the answer. His heart clenched at the anticipated answer. A small pang of jealousy, or was it feeling of possessiveness, surged in him when he imagined Genma taking Sakura's virginity, touching her innocent body and marking her with his touches and kisses.

Sakura opened both of her eyes and looked at Kakashi. _Is he jealous? That would be a first._ A smile tugged at her lips and she put a dreamy look on her face._ I really enjoy pushing his buttons. I never knew he had any. _

"Well, he was a real gentleman." Sakura could see Kakashi's eye widening at this statement. "He paid for the dinner and walked me home." Sakura smiled and sighed dreamily. She wasn't really lying about this. She did go for one dinner with Genma – a set up by Ino – and he did pay for it and he did walk her home, but nothing else happened. He knew she wasn't interested in anything else then a diner and he was quite an enjoyable companion, funny and attentive, exactly what she needed at that time in her life. She could truthfully say that he helped her. And he helped her make Kakashi jealous. That is certainly an added bonus.

Okay, he was jealous. _I'm going to kick his skinny ass for touching her. He better run or else I might hurt him real bad._ He didn't mind Genma sleeping around but touching Sakura? That was going too far. Kakashi wasn't sure if he could hide the jealousy on his face so he picked up his book and started reading, effectively removing visible part of his face from Sakura's eyes. _Did I hear Sakura snicker? Or did I just imagine it? She is not getting any tonight, even when she begs. Mocking me with a sex story with Genma? She can go to him if she wants to for all I care. Okay I'm being childish here but even I am a man and have an ego of my own and making me jealous will not help her to get to my pants._

_Me one and Kakashi zero, and the evening hasn't even begun yet. I'm so looking forward to tonight._ With smile on her lips and evil plan in her head she closed her eyes once more and enjoyed the relaxing bath.

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So? How was it? Don't forget to review if you liked the story, or didn't like it, or have some suggestions on making it better :) Just type anything! :)


	20. Chapter 20

I know I promised update during the weekend but better now then never? Sorry :(

Anyway enjoy the new chapter :)

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The night was cold as the rain started falling just few minutes after they sat down to eat. The dinner was as rich and tasty as on the first night and Sakura and Ino were starting to wonder if their bodies will be able to handle all the food they were stuffing themselves with. Being a kunoichi had its perks, nicely formed body, but this eating schedule would destroy that within few weeks. Sakura kept wondering how is Ayako keeping her good figure if she eats like this every day.

The food was taken away as no one was able to move from the amount of food they were trying to digest at this precise moment. They were listening to Kotone play another music instrument and Izumi dancing to its tune. The dinner was a bit quieter. At least that is how Sakura perceived it. Kakashi refused to speak to her since the little Genma incident in the bath. If she didn't have a plan already in her head to make him suffer tonight she might get angry at him for not speaking with her. There was just small chit-chat from Ayako and Kaori. _What is she still doing here? At least she stilled her attacks on Kakashi._

Of course Ino wouldn't shut up about the food and everything that might have come in contact with her oh so sexy Sabaku. There was really no talking to her once she sets eyes on a new object. It was actually lucky or else she would be in Sakura's face most of the day demanding all sorts of private, intimate information about her and Kakashi. This way she at least didn't have to deal with that.

Sakura's eyes moved to Ino in her light blue kimono and remembered one shop in town.

"Ayako-san? May I ask something?" Sakura directed her gaze to Ayako.

"Sure Sakura-san."

"I noticed a shop in the nearby town full of kimonos. Is it where you got these?" She asked while stroking the luxurious fabric of her light pink kimono with her hand.

Ayako smiled and her eyes clouded a bit with memories. "Ah, you saw the shop. It actually belongs to me."

They all looked surprised at Ayako while she continued her explanation.

"Since I was little I liked pretty fabrics and I admired the patterns that people would come up with to sew on the kimono. I started to collect them and every time father went away or uncle came to visit they brought me a kimono or a fabric. Since that time I had such a huge collection that I decided to either sell them or rent them out to towns people and to guests staying here. Not long after I opened the shop it became quite popular and even people from far away towns came to buy them. I seem to have a knack at finding the right kimono for the right person. It really makes me happy when those marvelous fabrics find a person to take care of them." The last sentence was said in a more hushed voice as she realized what she said. A small blush appeared on her face she put her hand in front of her mouth and let out a small nervous laugh.

"Don't mind my rumbling. I tend to get carried away when I talk about the shop."

"It's okay. It's the same with me and medicine. Once I start there is no stopping me." Sakura tried to make her feel less awkward and was rewarded with a smile from Ayako. She creased her eyes and Sakura though that maybe Kakashi does look like her under that mask. _It really seems there is a family resemblance after all. Well I'll see that soon enough. _Sakura chuckled a bit at that thought and noticed that Kakashi narrowed his eye at her. She had a sudden childish urge to stick her tongue out at him but she overcame that need and just settled with a slight _I-know-something-that-you-don't-know_ smirk.

Not long after that Kakashi excused himself from the company under the pretence of being tired. Sakura had a feeling that he was just afraid she might take the towels away again. _It's not the towels this time Kakashi._

She gave him thirty minutes before leaving the others and joining Kakashi in their room. It was dark and the only light was coming from the bedroom where Kakashi was reading his book and once again ignoring Sakura. She just took her yukata that she was using for sleeping and left for the bathroom.

When she came out fifteen minutes later the room was still illuminated by the small bed lamp but Kakashi was pretending to be asleep with his eyes closed and turned to one side.

"Don't tell me you are already asleep." It was more of a statement than a question.

Kakashi didn't move just answered and a pout could be heard in his voice. "Old people need their sleep."

"Too bad that you are so tired. I thought you will want your reward from the morning bet." With exaggerated sigh she turned to leave when she noticed that Kakashi cracked one eye open, even just a little. When he remembered that he promised himself he wouldn't give her anything tonight he forced his eye to close. One could say that it took more than a one man's strength as he saw what Sakura was wearing. From what he could see she had a very nice red lacy lingerie. Thank kami he had just a small view of her. If he opened his eye fully he wouldn't be able to resist ogling her.

_Why is she doing this? Just go to sleep and ignore her_. That's what he kept telling himself as she started talking again.

"I'm sorry girls. It seems he is too sleepy to play with us. "

_Huh? Girls? Whaaa? _Kakashi opened his eyes and stared at three half naked women right in front of him. All of them had identical pink hair and were dressed in the same sexy underwear that did unbelievable things with their breasts. _Did I manage to fall asleep? Or am I really seeing three times Sakura with a cute pout on their lips?_

"Kage bunshin?"

"How else did you want to do the page 95?" Sakura smirked. Three times. "It's a shame that you are _so_ tired, but don't worry, we will be real quiet." With that said the other two Sakuras smiled and went to caress the middle Sakura.

Kakashi gritted his teeth as he was forced to admit defeat. _This is not fair. Not fair at all. When did she become so evil? One half naked Sakura is quite enough but three at the same time?_ _I thought she was joking about that scene from the book._

"Sakura?" Kakashi said as he sat up in the bed.

"Hm?"

"I'm kind of awake now." _Real classy and not lame at all. _His inner voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, sorry. Would you like to join us?" The middle Sakura asked with a fake surprise and innocence in her tone.

"Well if you insist..." His eye creased in a smile, trying to look innocent. _Really pathetic._

The three pinkettes looked at each other and the middle one smiled a devilish smile and nodded at her two doubles. The two of them turned to him and one started to crawl on the bed and sat on his feet and started to run her hands up and down his thighs. The other walked to the side of the bed and went to sit down behind his back to snake her hands around his shoulders and down his chest.

"I'm happy that you're feeling all refreshed." The middle Sakura came closer to Kakashi and sat in his lap, effectively straddling him. "This wouldn't have been fun if you were asleep."

"I can imagine." Kakashi smiled and moved closer to kiss the Sakura that was currently sitting in his lap. She stopped him by pressing her finger to his lips. She smiled and awfully innocent smile that never meant anything good. He almost managed to escape when the sitting-in-his-lap Sakura exclaimed a loud command of "Now!"

He found that the Sakura on his legs and Sakura behind his back had an iron grip on his body. He tried to struggle and get free but even though her chakra was divided by three it was enough for them to release just enough chakra to effectively keep him seated and in their mercy.

"What are you doing Sakura?" He tried to use his teaching voice that used to work on them when they were young genin. The authoritarian and serious voice he used while in command. Lesser men knew when he used this voice there was no arguing with him and no one dared to defy him at that moment.

Sakura almost wavered in the execution of her plan. Almost. He was the one who cheated in the morning not her. She so deserved to see his face after all these years.

"You know. We had a bet this morning."

"Yes we did and I won if my memory serves me right."

"You really must be getting old because you seem to forget that you cheated to get your victory. Therefore I won."

"That is just your point of view, isn't it?"

"You so cheated so don't try to worm out of this." Sakura said as she jabbed him in the chest with her finger.

Kakashi tried again to pull out his limbs to get all three Sakuras off of him but he stilled when he saw Sakura's hands move up to his mask. She hooked her finger behind the mask but didn't start pulling it down. She kept looking in his eyes. _Is that hesitation in her eyes?_

Her shoulders slouched a little and two popping sounds could be heard as Sakura dispelled her doubles. Kakashi leaned back on his freed hands and waited for Sakura to decide what she wants to do.

Sakura wasn't sure what to do. It was fun until now, but the mood got a bit too serious. Who was she to impose on him this way? For all those years she has known him she never saw him without his mask. Not even in the hospital_. Is this really alright?_

She had her fingers still hooked behind the fabric but Kakashi didn't make a move to stop her. Is_ he giving me a permission to look?_ She audibly gulped when she noticed her suddenly dry mouth. She licked her dry lips and moved her other hand up to his face and hooked her fingers behind the mask to pull it evenly down.

Unknowingly she held her breath as she torturingly slowly pulled it down. She let it out the moment the mask was pooled around his neck. She had to blink few times to realize that she was really seeing the whole face of Hatake Kakashi. Taking a few moments to study his face she moved her fingers about his cheek, and jaw. He was a good looking man. Not ugly, not hansom but a fine looking man. He had symmetrical face, straight nose and no fish lips or buck teeth to be seen.

Kakashi always liked to look at the faces of people who saw him for the first time. Sakura's face was all serious, just like when she switched to medic-mode. Her eyebrows slightly furrowed but her lips instead of being pressed into a thin line were slightly open.

"Why so serious?" Kakashi broke the silence after few minutes.

Her eyes never left his lips as she smiled. "No buck teeth. Naruto owes me a _lot_ of money. I think I'm rich now."

"You still had that bet going?" Kakashi asked and smiled.

If Sakura was standing she might have fallen down as her knees turned to goo. _I'm taking back the not hansom part. He is damn right gorgeous._ His smile brightened his whole face and made him seem younger than he really was. Well it was more of a smirk than a smile, nevertheless she felt warmth move to her cheeks as a small blush appeared on her face and her jaw dropped a little.

Kakashi chuckled at the anticipated reaction. Most people reacted this way when they saw him smile without his mask. It never ceased to entertain him just how much a small smile could influence others.

Her hands still haven't left his face as she looked up to his eyes. She moved her fingers to his scar. He had his sharingan eye closed. She traced her fingers along the scar from his brow to middle of his cheek.

"Does it hurt?" Sakura asked silently. She knew just a little bit about the scar, from medical records she knew the facts but the story behind it was still a mystery.

"Sometimes." Kakashi answered truthfully.

Her fingers turned green and she let some of her healing chakra into the surrounding tissue to ease some of the tension from the formed scar.

Kakashi closed his eye as he felt her chakra enter his skin. It was tingling and soothing and not tickling like before. He furrowed his bow in realization that she really did it intentionally. He always thought it was just a reaction on her unique chakra. Different medic, different chakra, different feeling. She interpreted his expression wrongly and quickly removed her hand from his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... I should have asked."

"You do it on purpose." Kakashi opened his eye and pouted a little.

"What? No. Yes.. sorry. I tend to switch to medic-mode automatically."

"That's not what I meant but this was quite nice actually. What I meant was the tickling."

Sakura immediately blushed and tried to stand up. Kakashi quickly grabbed her hips and pushed her back into his lap.

"I don't know what are you talking about." She tried weakly, with not much conviction in her voice and turned her face sideways and crossed her arm in front of her.

"Sakura, why have you been systematically torturing me all this time while healing me?" Kakashi pushed further wanting to get and answer from her. He really felt betrayed. For most part of the last decade it was Sakura who was doing the healing on him and it seemed she was intentionally tickling him.

"..." The silence dragged on.

"Fine." Sakura broke the silence when she realized that Kakashi isn't going to let it go. "You were being stubborn ass once again about not going to the hospital and I was so angry I wanted to punch you. But that would probably kill you so instead I pushed more chakra than was necessary but not into the wound but onto the surface of my hands. I knew there was something different about it and when I tried it on my hand I realized how ticklish it is."

"Okay. I get it that you were angry at that time but what about all those other treatments during the years? Was it really necessary?"

"Well the second time I wanted to try it again and since you refused to laugh I tried it again and again and then it became a habit. If you laughed or giggled I would have stopped. Seems you always had a coughing fit instead." She winked at him and as she was smiling like a mischievous child.

"Unbelievable. Is this a way to treat your seniors?"

"Yes." She could be as bullheaded as him.

He grabbed her by her waist and turned them to the side, effectively lying on top of her and between her legs.

"I should teach you some respect young lady." Kakashi smirked and Sakura once again blushed like a schoolgirl.

He moved closer and Sakura closed her eyes waiting for his lips to press on hers. To her surprise she felt him bite on her earlobe with his lips. Kakashi started to move kissing her and teasing her with his teeth. Going from her earlobe to her jaw. As he found one particularly sensitive spot Sakura bucked her hips in response and let out a quiet sigh. He moved his hand on her side squeezing her thigh. Once he kissed the corner of her mouth she waited for him to kiss her but instead he moved to her other ear and started the same process. Moving his hand along her inner thigh he brushed her sensitive skin and it sent shivers down her spine and she could feel heat pooling between her thighs. As he moved once again up her jaw line to her mouth he stopped and went on to kiss her neck. It was driving her crazy. She sank her fingers into his back as she tried to make him do something else than tease her. Pushing her legs up and around his body she pushed him more into her to feel more of his warmth. The need for him was building inside her stomach. She wanted to feel his lips on hers, to feel his touch on her body.

Sakura felt him move from her neck back to her face. She felt his warm breath on her lisp, waiting for the touch of his lips. When she didn't feel him move she opened her eyes just to see him pull away and smirk at her confused look.

"Good night, Sakura-chan." Was the last thing she heard accompanied by a chuckle. The last thing she saw was the slowly spinning tomoe in Kakashi's sharingan.

The last thing she thought as she was put to sleep by the one and only Copy-nin was - _This is sooo not what I planned._

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I had a different plan with this chapter but it kind of changed itself. There was supposed to be some lemony goodness at the end but I thought this would be more appropriate reaction from Kakashi :)

Don't worry there will be some lemonade, if you want it that is.

So don't forget to review! Feedback is always appreciated :) So thanks to all who reviewed!


	21. Chapter 21

I'm soooooooo sorry for the delay! :( There is just so much going on in my life that I just barely find time to write or think about writing for that matter :( Please enjoy at least this small offering and don't kill the writer. I will finish this story, it just may take longer than anticipated.

Enjoy!

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The sun hasn't risen yet when Sakura started to wake from her sharingan induced sleep. It was a dreamless sleep, only a feeling of utter unfulfillment was what she felt upon waking up. Her sleep daze mind was trying to piece together the night, before she fell asleep. She was sure she wanted to do something, that there was some kind of plan she had in mind surely before going to sleep.

Sakura cracked one eye open and her sight fell on her garments. Seeing the red lacy material around her breast the previous evenings events came rushing back to her. A small angry blush crept to her cheeks as she berated herself for letting Kakashi play with her like that.

The bed shifted and she felt a warm body press to hers. She stiffened as she felt an arm drape over her waist. Her first angry instinct was to slap it away but that would mean he would probably wake up and she didn't want that. Sakura tried to relax and fall asleep for the last two or so hours before they needed to get up.

Closing her eyes she started to be over aware of the heated body behind her and the tingly feeling that emanated from his simple and innocent touch on her stomach.

She let out a small frustrated snort. _When did I become so susceptible to a simple touch of a man?_ Why is his touch so different from others? Is it him or is it just the lack of touches I received during the last year? It must be the latter. Stirring her emotions so easily with the simplest of touches couldn't even _he_ manage. She pushed the thoughts about _him_ tightly back to the recesses of her mind. She didn't want to think about the past: not now and not in bed with another man.

This was starting to be too much for her and the stirring emotions and memories tried to resurface so soon after she had her little break down just few days ago. She tried moving out of his reach but once she started to wiggle the hand around her waist only tightened. As he moved closer his hand came to rest just under her breast. A treacherous thought surfaced; part of her body and mind wished his hand would move more up and cradle her breast in his warm palm. Her body was betraying her as she felt her heart beat a little faster and small but intense heat spread between her legs when her mind started remembering the feel of his big calloused hands on her pert nipples and soft skin of her breasts.

Ineffectively she tried scrapping the images from her mind. The feel of his body behind her was not really helping her with that task and keeping her wide awake. Wiggling her butt unconsciously she tried finding a better position to sleep in; preferable out of his reach, but Kakashi had an iron grip on her.

She squirmed few more times not making herself too comfortable or sleepy enough to drift off to dream world. Trying one last time to get out of his reach she bumped him with her behind and froze when she felt something hard nudging her bum. _Is that what I think it is? Is he awake? _Sakura stilled and strained her senses to find out if he is sleeping or just faking it. His breath seemed regular enough but that could be faked. Even with her senses strained to maximum she couldn't be sure. If she had to say she would go for not faking it. Even though he had a hard-on he wasn't moving other than a regular rising of his chest.

This sleeping position was beginning to be very uncomfortable and her bladder decided it was full at this precise moment. She had to face it; there were just two options. Either she will try to get out of his iron grip, but that would involve more wiggling and the result would be an even more hardening little Kakashi. Or just stay as she was, utterly uncomfortable and try to get some sleep and hold it until morning.

Well, if she had to be totally honest there was another option. Make use of the current situation and use the poking stick that is currently nudging her behind. Her mischievous side was starting to win over and push to get the option number three. That was the plan before her induced sleep anyway so why not use the opportunity now? Sakura wasn't too happy about Kakashi making her fall asleep but she couldn't be too angry at him; she did torture the guy for the past few years. He had some right for retribution; she will give him that, but nothing more.

Squirming some more she could feel the bulge in her back become more hard. _Okay this is taking me nowhere and option number three is out of the question at least until I get to the bathroom. _Sakura resigned herself to this situation and tried to will herself to sleep, wiggling last time in a vain attempt to make herself more comfortable an relieve some pressure from her bladder in Kakashi's iron grip.

A gruff voice spoke in her ear. "Wiggle all you want but there will be only sleeping."

"Tell that to your 'little' friend that's poking me in the back." Sakura retorted wiggling again and trying to get free.

"If you stop moving, our 'big' friend will go away and we can go back to sleep." Kakashis sleepy voice spoke to her ear and the pinkette could picture the pout on his face as he corrected her about their friend. _Even though he is The Hatake Kakashi he still is a conceited as every other man. _Sakura would roll her eyes if they were open.

"You go to sleep. I need to go to the bathroom."

There was only silence from behind her.

"Kakashi I will pee the bed if you won't let go of me."

More silence.

"Do you want me to break your arm?"

His only reaction was that he nuzzled her hair. _He really likes to snuggle doesn't he?_

"I'll break the poking stick."

There was a slight hesitation as if he was contemplating if she is really capable to break something that doesn't have a bone. The grip loosened so he must have come to a conclusion that if someone knew how to break it, she would be the one. Pink blur disappeared behind the bathroom doors as she ran for the much needed toilet.

Finished with the business she quickly washed her face and came back to the bed. It was still too early to be getting up but she didn't feel sleepy at all. Kakashi had his back turned the other way so she quickly made sure he wasn't looking and was about to take out the smutty book from it's hiding place. Her hand stopped midway as she decided against it. She knew where it would lead eventually and she wasn't really in the mood to beg Kakashi for little help right now. Instead she took out her small medical notebook and started rereading her older notes.

She heard an incomprehensible sound coming from the copy-nins direction, probably not liking the light coming from the small bedside lamp. He groggily pulled the quilt over his head with more grumbling that sounded like 'no respect for the elders'.

The few hours till the morning passed more quickly than she thought. The dawn was already breaking when she came across a note she made about the time that Naruto came back from one mission torn to pieces and she was mending him. Although he was injured in many places, the wounds weren't life threatening. Once the healing was finished her hands were burned by his residual charka that leaked through his wounds as she was healing them. She almost slapped herself when the realization dawned on her. She forgot to tell Kakashi about the incident with the gardener, Shokubutsu.

"Kakashi wake up!" Sakura shook the sleeping copy-nin awake. She wanted to tell him before she forgot once again about it, and the sun was almost up so one could call it already morning_. Serves him right for making me fall asleep in the first place._

Kakashi waked with a start from his dream and sitting up abruptly with last sleepy words on his lips.

"... youthful enough..." Kakashi blinked few times to get the image of a stripping, half naked Gai out of his mind. In his dream Gai was trying to prove he was youthful enough to pass as an undercover stripper on a special mission they were assigned. He was about to rub oil on his hairy chest when he was woken by his little pink savior. _It was more of a nightmare_; Kakashi corrected himself. The simple idea of him and the 'Green Beast' being on one undercover mission was absurd at best. Both of them stood out in the crowd too much to be undercover; both for different reasons entirely. _Thank kami it was only a dream._

".. ehm... Kakashi?" Sakura asked startled by his sleepy exclamation.

His droopy eye looked at Sakura happy about the good timing. Seeing anything more of half naked Gai rubbing an oil to his hairy chest would be too scaring for his mind. He looked around and noticed the lack of daylight coming from outside. "It's still night Sakura. Normal people tend to sleep at this time of the day."

"It's good then that you are not normal isn't it, sensei?" Sakura teased him some more as she knew how much he hated being disturbed from his sleep unnecessarily. When they were still genin at missions he was always last one to sleep and first one to get up, but outside of missions or in safe surroundings he was impossible to wake. For one who had dogs as his summons he sure acted like a cat. Always sleeping or napping during the day, preferably on a tree branch or on a roof top; and he was equally grumpy once waken up before he deemed it was the 'right time'; which it never was according to his internal napping clock. She changed so much since her genin days, yet he seems the same as when she first met him. It seems some things just never change no matter how much time passes.

"Consider yourself lucky that I take it as a compliment. Now go back to your reading and let me sleep until 'normal' people wake up." With that said he turned around pulling the blanket over his head.

Sakura just rolled her eyes and went to remove the blanket from his face.

"Kakashi! I need to tell you something."

"Can't it wait until morning?"

"No." Was her resolute answer.

With a resigned sigh Kakashi opened his eye and waited for her to speak. She furrowed her brows in annoyance at him and kept silent.

"..." Her left eye brow started twitching a little bit, which was never a good sign. That was usually the only warning you got before the pain came. Vein popping up or one brow twitching equals great pain and suffering if not stopped on time. Naruto and Sai were usually the ones on the receiving end of her angry fists. He tried to warn them some time ago and educate them about the little signal she gave before the mayhem but the socially inept Sai never recognized and Naruto was usually his rilled up self to even notice this in his over enthusiastic fits.

"Fine." Kakashi grumbled and sat up turning a bit to Sakura. _Her eye brow stopped twitching, thank kami. _Kakashi sighed with relief inwardly. He was too sleepy and comfortable to deal with angry Sakura at the moment.

"When I was walking around the ryokan I met this gardener. I think his name was Shokubutsu and his daughter was Midori. He was injured so I offered to heal his hand as it was bleeding and he would have to have few stitches and might get an infection if not treated properly..." Sakura stopped her ramble as she looked at Kakashi's face that had a hint of annoyance at her small diversion from the main topic, "Right. So I healed his hand and I checked his chakra system as per usual before healing and nothing suspicious came up. It was a regular civilian chakra system, but once I healed him I realized I had residual chakra on my hand."

Sakura was waiting for him to come to some kind of conclusion, but Kakashi seemed unimpressed with the provided information.

"Try it in normal people talk Sakura. "

"Residual chakra. When you heal someone you push your chakra inside the person and his chakra is usually not strong enough to push out of the wound onto the healers hands. That happened very rarely and only to people with huge chakra reserves. It happened to me only once, when I was healing Naruto." Sakura saw as the realization dawned on him.

"So there is no way for this kind of thing could happen with a civilian, right?" Kakashi asked Sakura just to make sure he understood her correctly.

"Right. But the most puzzling thing is that he didn't have that much chakra. I checked his chakra system, remember?."

"Are you sure this can't be a hitch of some kind? That you missed something while checking him?"

"I don't think so. I know I usually do this on autopilot but the feeling is unmistakable. It's a cold tingling sensation a bit numbing and it can burn your skin if there is too much contact with the foreign chakra." Sakura tried her best to describe the feeling on her hands.

"So? Do you think it might have something to do with what is going on here?" Sakura asked trying to get some reaction out of Kakashi. She could see his mind going to his special calculating mode.

"Hm. "

Sakura waited for him to elaborate but he stayed silent.

"Kakashi?" she poked him in the shoulder. He turned to her and crinkled his eye at her.

"How do you feel about a quick trip?"

"Care to elaborate more?"

"Nope. Be ready in ten minutes. We'll eat on the way." With that he jumped out of bed, dressed quickly in his regular jounin outfit and ran out of the room leaving Sakura to get ready for an unplanned trip to who knows where.

Sakura quickly dressed and as an afterthought she quickly scribbled a note to Ino. _If she manages to take her mind off of her boy-toy and actually wonders where they are._

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Please don't forget to review and let me know what you thought! And once again sorry for the delay :( I'll try to update sooner.

IMPORTANT! I'm looking for a good and helpful soul that would help me make this story better. Yes! I'm looking for a Beta Reader. Basically I'm looking for someone who could correct my English grammar and have suggestions or any kind of contribution that would help me be a better writer and help me make this story better.

Be my B! :D


	22. Chapter 22

Time for another update. ENJOY!

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The morning dew was still sparkling on the green trees in the morning sunlight while two figures kept jumping from one tree branch to the other. They were moving silently, both concentrating on the next jump and their surroundings. The taller person signaled for a stop just after the last drops of moisture evaporated into the air, dried by the warm morning sun.

Jumping down to the base of the trees the taller ninja started rummaging through his small backpack and produced a small bento box filled with onigiri and a flask of water.

"No soup? No fruits and no tea?" The smaller ninja whined in disappointment at the lack of variety of today's breakfast.

"Sakura." Kakashi said with a warning in his voice.

"What?"She snapped back at him. "If you're not going to tell where we are going you could at least let me have a normal breakfast in the ryokan."

Kakashi just extended the hand holding the bento box up to pouting Sakura, waiting for her to take some to eat. Some things just never change; she used to be so grumpy as a child when she was denied something.

"Sakura, just eat something. I told you I will explain on the way."

"So? We are on the way, aren't we?" Sakura took the box from him and started eating the small rice balls.

Kakashi rolled his one visible eye at her childish behavior. He would have told her an hour ago if she wasn't so insistent to pry it out of him. He was keeping silent now just to see her get more riled up. _I almost forgot how easy was to push her buttons. She looked almost adorable while eating her onigiri as if she was biting his head off._

Kakashi had to turn around so she wouldn't see how he was trying not to laugh. She might try to bite his head off for real if she knew he was pulling her leg. Faking a cough he turned back to her to eat some of the rice balls for breakfast to meet Sakura's not very amused expression.

"For an elite ninja you sure don't know how to mask a laugh." She said and moved the box out of his reach stuffing one of the rice balls into her mouth.

Kakashi sized her with one of his most-serious-warning-stares that put stronger men in their place. She hesitated but only for a split second before a resolve shone in her eyes and she took another step back, effectively getting his breakfast out of his reach.

He hardened his stare and took a step closer to her. Corner of the pinkettes mouth twitched with badly hidden amusement and she took another step back and quickly swallowed the rice. Taking one of the three remaining onigiri in her hand and closing the box, she watched as Kakashi growled her name in warning.

Kakashi's movement was quick but Sakura anticipated it and jumped back with the box under her arm and onigiri prepared in the other to bite.

"You wouldn't dare Sakura." Kakashi warned her one last time and her response was biting into the onigiri ball. _That's it. I won't give up my breakfast without a fight. _Steeling his resolve he crinkled his eyes in a fake smile and moved his headband up to reveal his sharingan.

The smile that was playing on Sakura's lips froze in an instant. _Oh oh. He is serious. Is he mad? It's only a breakfast, for kami's sake. It's time to give up... or run for dear life. _Sakura quickly lowered her gaze to his feet as a precaution from his swirling sharingan.

"K-Kakashi...?" She asked hoping she will get a response from him. Instead she saw a small shift in his stance and in a blink of an eye he was gone. Startled she looked around but didn't see him. She strained her eyes and senses to find his location but to no avail.

She gulped. _It's time to run. _Sakura hastily forced chakra into her feet and jumped up to the branches while stuffing her face with the onigiri. She didn't have time to contemplate the silliness of the situation (fighting with Kakashi over food) before she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye and briskly jumped down and hid behind some bushes where she opened the box and started munching on the fore last rice ball with a very childish thought of 'No evidence, no crime'. Discarding the box and keeping the last piece of breakfast in her hand she moved out of her hiding and back up to the crowns of the trees, keeping her chakra suppressed as much as possible. Looking nervously around she thought about what to do with the last rice ball. She was already full and didn't think she would have space for the last one.

When a shadow suddenly approached her from her side she acted very much on instinct, not realizing she had a rice ball in her hand and not a kunai or shuriken. She ducked before Kakashi's fast advancing hand, moved to his side while standing up and shot her hand with the rice ball forward.

In that precise moment she was very disappointed she didn't have a camera to take a picture because should she tell this tale to anyone, they would dismiss her as a lunatic and call a psychologist for an evaluation.

The rice ball made a dull thud sound as it slid down from Kakashi's face; leaving a trail of rice grains on his mask; to the branch beneath them. If she didn't know better she would say he was on the verge of crying as he watched said food slip down from the branch and fall all the way down to the dirty ground, while his stomach grumbled from hunger.

Kakashi moved his gaze back to Sakura opening his mouth as if to say something. Instead he just shook his head in disappointment and without a word he leapt down to where he left his bag and started walking with slumped shoulders to the direction they were heading to.

The moment she thought he was out of ear shot she deflated and fell down on her knees shaking in laughter, and maybe with a relief as she did survive. She wasn't sure if he would jump at her for a moment back there.

Hastily getting her bearings back she jumped down and quickly found Kakashi leading the way at a steady pace.

The silence started to be very uncomfortable. It was interrupted only occasionally by Sakura either stifling a hiccup or a burp.

Sakura had enough and for the first time in the last hour she stopped and noisily slumped on a nearby stump.

"Can we please stop for a while?" Sakura addressed his retreating and unstopping back. "Kakashi? Please? I'm not feeling so well." She stifled another burp coming up from her belly.

"That's what you get when you eat more than you can digest." Came from Kakashi as he stopped few feet away, refusing to look at her.

"I would feel much better if I knew how far we are going?" She asked hoping to get some information out of him.

Instead he opened one of his many pockets on his vest and threw something small in her way. She caught it her hand and questioningly looked at Kakashi.

"One should be enough. If not, take another in one hour." Without another look he started walking ahead once more. He really wasn't in the mood to listen to the lecture that he knew would come. As if on queue he heard a loud exclamation of "I knew it!" from his pink haired companion.

Sakura quickly put one of the antacids in her mouth and swallowed it and took after Kakashi to give him a lecture on proper care of his digestive system. She knew that eating so fast because of that damn mask would have some side-effects such as bad digestion. He being in possession of these pills just confirmed her suspicions.

Quickly catching up to him she was ready to give him a medical lecture about ulcers and heart burns when he suddenly stopped and she nearly bumped to him.

"What..?" She was ready to ask why he stopped when he moved to side and she saw a valley spread right bellow them with a small city in the middle.

"We're here." Kakashi announced and started to walk down the road at a civilian pace.

"What is this place?"

"Lovely village of Shitamura."

Sakura looked at him hoping he would finally elaborate.

"Why exactly are we here?" She asked after few minutes as Kakashi kept silent.

"We are looking for a family Bed and Breakfast that should be somewhere at the edge of the village."

"Why would we do that exactly?"

"We are following a lead." Kakashi smiled at her and crinkled his eye.

Sakura was ready to explode. "You.. how... why... ah..infuriating." Was all she was able to get out of herself. This was the single most infuriating human being she had the displeasure to meet and work with occasionally. And that is something to say when her other two teammates consisted of a socially inept fake smiling ex-root member and unstoppably cheerful and hyperactive idiot with unexplainable incline to orange clothes.

She resolved to only thing she was able to think of at the moment, without actually beating him to a bloody pulp that is. She sat down on a nearby stone and refused to take another step until he tells her why they are going to that town.

"Sakura." Kakashi tried his persuasive tone with no effect. She just pouted some more and turned her head to the side.

"If I were you I would start walking. I heard it helps to prevent and cure a starting cellulite. You really shouldn't eat so much."

"What!" Screeched the pinkette and quickly stood up to check the state of her thighs in her small black shorts. She quickly composed herself and glared daggers at the annoying male in front of her that was not trying to stiffen his amusement.

His smile froze the minute her clenched fists started glowing a menacing green light and she took few steps closer. Kakashi's hands shot up in defense.

"You're behind is very nice Sakura and I swear there is no trace of cellulite skin. The same goes for your legs. That is a pair of legs that some ladies would kill for."

"Oh, really? Thank you," Sakura said with a feigned sweet voice that Ino would be proud of. "And?" Sakura continued to advance on Kakashi with her glowing fist.

"I'll tell you where we're going?"

"Exactly." Sakura stopped her advance and let her fist drop down to her side.

"I was about to tell you when you decided to eat my breakfast, just so you know." They started walking side by side to the nearby village. "I'm not taking you with me next time. You are a very bad travelling companion. And to think I preferred you to Naruto." Kakashi shook his head.

Sakura playfully bumped him by her side. "You don't mean that. Just admit you like me more."

"Well, even though you are and aggressive, stealing, banshee sometimes, you have a nice side. Especially when you're walking in front of me." Kakashi gave her a wink and smiled as a small blush appeared on her cheeks.

"One could say the same about you." Sakura replied and watched as Kakashi's jaw dropped a little at her cheeky comeback. It made her all warm and fuzzy on the inside to know that even the great Copy-nin can be shocked once in a while.

"Ehm. Well. Village of Shitamura. I'm not sure if you met Ayako's grandmother." Sakura just shook her head in negative. "She is staying in the ryokan because her small Bed and Breakfast burned to the ground here in Shitamura along with her husband."

"That's terrible, but why are we here? Making sure her husband's ghost isn't haunting her?"

"Not exactly. I just remembered one reference in the bingo book. We need to do some digging."

"Digging of what? I hope you don't mean the poor old lady's dead husband."

"Yep." Kakashi confirmed Sakura's assumption. "When I was talking to the staff at the ryokan they all had an alibi for when the ghost appeared. When I asked about the past of when it first appeared they all said the same. Their stories were similar in content but the details were different."

"So? Why are we going digging?"

"Because it felt as if they were lying about something, but telling the truth at the same time."

"Underneath the underneath? Didn't think it would be so literal in this case." Sakura shivered at the thought of a burned and decomposed body. She saw many gruesome things in her career of ninja and medic but the thought of decaying body made her weak in her knees. That was one weakness she wasn't able to loose and Tsunade tried her best to help her. She made her excavate and examine at least dozen bodies before she agreed to pass her from anthropology.

In truth Tsunade had a bet going on with few other medics on how many times would Sakura faint during one autopsy. After she lost twelve times she agreed to pass her. To Sakura's luck she ran out of money to bet at that time.

"I still don't get what tipped you off with the bingo book. I don't remember any old lady being in it." Sakura questioned Kakashi further.

"I don't want to get ahead of myself but let's just call it a hunch that one of them might be behind all of this. Even though I have no idea why he would target a ryokan. Let's just see what we'll find."

With that they entered the village of Shitamura, the birthplace of Kashikoi Ryoori, Ayako's grandmother.

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Don't forget to review ^^

ANNOUNCEMENT:

Sorry to dissapoint you :( but this might be the last update for a while. *pray's that at least someone will stay loyal to this story* I will not have time to write as my wedding day is approaching :) yaaay me :) so please be patient. I promise I will update as soon as I can and I do plan to finish this story, so no worries. Expect and update sometime in the middle of June.

Thank you everyone who reviewed/faved/alerted or even took the time to read the story. You're the BEST :)


	23. Chapter 23

First of all I'm BACK :) and I'm sorry, Më fal!, 对不起, Undskyld!, Het spijt me!, Anteeksi, Entschuldigung!, Maaf!, ごめんなさい! (gomen nasai), Piedod!, Beklager, ਖਿਮਾ/ਮਾਫ਼ ਕਰੋ ਜੀ।, Perdone, Özür dilerim, Ndicela uxolo, Sorry and few more.

Please enjoy!

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The main income of the Shitamura village came from the travelers that passed through the village on their way to and from a bigger town that lay half a days walk from here. Most travelers stayed the night and continued on their journey the following day. The main street was buzzing with people and the shop owners were fighting between each other to attract the most customers into their respective establishment.

Just behind the city, right by the main road was the small Bed and Breakfast that used to be the home of the old lady, Kashikoi Ryoori and her husband. What was left of it anyways. All that was left of the main building was the stone base and the few blackened pillars that the fire didn't fully eat-up. Right next to it was a small garden that seemed to be taken care of by someone. There under an old willow tree was the final resting place of Ayako's grandfather. They were told by the villagers that is where he wanted to be buried. As for the guest that died in the fire too, they didn't know where he was from or if he had a family so they buried him next her husband.

The sounds of the wind blowing through the leaves and the chatter of travelers was only disturbed by a sound of a shovel hitting the ground repeatedly, although the passerby's seemed to be oblivious to this little disturbance.

Sakura stopped scribbling into her notebook and once again shivered at the thought of examining the dug up bodies.

"Sakura, concentrate." Kakashi warned Sakura when he noticed one little girl looking their way.

"Right, sorry." She replied and once again went back to concentrating on her current task; keeping up a genjutsu to ward off the curious looks of townsfolk and passerby's while Kakashi dug up the bodies.

He was halfway done when Sakura's concentration wavered again while she was scribbling in her notebook.

"If you can't concentrate we can switch, Sakura. Or maybe it would be easier for you if you would stop scribbling in that book of yours."

Sakura's back straightened in that instant and she closed the notebook with a snap without looking back at Kakashi.

"I'm not going near those… bodies." A slight shiver went up her spine when a memory of a particularly rotten cadaver she had on the table flashed before her eyes.

"We might need your medic's insight to be certain of the cause of death. And don't worry these bodies will be nice and crispy from the fire." The smile was hard to miss in his voice.

She knew he had that stupid smirk on his face with his eyes crinkled when he said that, but once she imagined those bodies with no rotting flesh, she actually felt better and even contemplated for a second she would really look at them.

"Tell me again why one of our best medics isn't able to look at dead bodies?" Kakashi tried to get more information out of her.

"It's not the recently dead bodies. It's the rotting ones that freak me out. Have you ever seen half decomposed body that had to be identified? Or searched for injuries so one could determine the cause of death?"

"Sure, happened few times that I had to identify a long lost and dead team mate. That is still nothing compared to what I once found in my fridge after a particularly long mission." This time it was Kakashi's skin that sprouted goose bumps. "I swear it said hello."

He quickly resumed the digging so he could push back the memory of that thing although he had to smile as he remembered as he gave it as a mission to Tenzo to '_tame_' the fridge THING. That is when he started to have that scary face. Since then he refused to go near Kakashi's house.

Meanwhile Sakura once again let her mind traveled and she opened her notebook quickly to scribble few thoughts in it when she realized that there were no more sounds of shoveling and a certain man was looming behind her and looking over her shoulder.

She turned around with a frown on her face as she pulled her notebook to her breast as a mother would do with a child.

"What is it with you and that notebook?" Kakashi asked while getting the dirt off his clothes as best as he could. If he looked a bit sooner away he might have missed the flash of emotions on Sakura's face. It was just an instant, a millisecond when she dropped her façade that he didn't even know she was carrying. The hurt and sadness in her eyes startled Kakashi. Through all the years he has known her she was like an open book, keeping her feelings out in the open. That just wasn't Sakura, to keep emotions bottled up behind a mask of 'normal'.

She put the notebook in her hip pouch and tried her best not to look near the site where the bodies were.

"So, what did you find?" She asked when Kakashi kept silent.

"Two bodies." He replied.

Sakura looked nervously around and when he didn't reply she looked him in the eye with a raised brow that indicated he should continue.

"That's all I can tell. Two sets of bones. It's hard to tell anything else."

Sakura was in the middle of the motion of shaking her head when she realized what he said. _Bones. That means no flesh. _

Sakura worked up her courage, and calmed down her stomach and looked the way where the bodies lay in the ground.

"Bones." She said reassuringly to herself and moved closer to examine them.

She jumped into the grave and looked at them more closely, taking one of the skulls in hand and examining it closer. After about twenty minutes of inspecting different parts of the bodies she crawled up from the graves.

"So what it is you were looking for? As far as I can tell they are both males and both died in the fire. Or better said they didn't suffer any external damage that would lead to their death. At least nothing is visible on the bones other than fire. "

"Are you sure they are both male?" Kakashi asked, he had to be certain.

"Yes, I am sure. The bones don't lie. You are suspecting the old lady has something to do with this?"

"Hm. Probably not. I just wanted to make sure." Kakashi still had his thinking face. You could almost see the wheels turning in his head. Even though his suspicions were not confirmed he is already trying to put the pieces together, but they just don't fit. _Something is still missing in this puzzle._

The copy-nin sat down where Sakura was sitting before and leisurely stretched his arms, very much like a cat would do before doing little circles around the place where it wants to nap. Lying down on the ground and closing his eyes he yawned.

"What are you doing?" Sakura looked at him with a suspicion of what would be his answer.

"Why, I am keeping up a genjutsu so you are not seen burying back the bodies. So don't disturb me as I need to concentrate. "

Clenching her fists she had to remind herself not to kill her ex-sensei. Sakura kept repeating her little mantra '_Don't kill Kakashi, you are too young and too pretty to be in jail'_ as she moved the dug up earth to cover up the bodies.

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Running around woods was always a good way to burn some calories and she had a lot of them from all the food she was eating these past few days. It was starting to show on her belly so couple hundred sit ups to finish her little work out had made her all sweaty. She was stretching by a fallen down tree just outside the ryokan to relieve her hardening muscles. The day wasn't the warmest and a cold wind flew past the blond kunoichi that made her shiver.

Making her way back to her room an idea sparked in her blond head. She would go to the hotels hot springs to soak in the hot water and relax her tired muscles and just maybe, of course by mistake, walk in by accident on the innocently bathing Sabaku. As her devilish grin spread on her face and resolution shined in her eyes she went to her room to change into a loose yukata and nothing else and went on to stalk her unsuspecting victim.

Looking in the common places where Sabaku is usually seen she had to resolve to her ninja skills to track him down as he was nowhere to be seen. As if he was hiding. Walking around the ryokan for an hour still not finding him she ventured in the private parts of the ryokan and as she passed by a not fully closed screen she glimpsed something that made her take few steps back to see in the room again. She thought she saw a needle in the old lady's hand sewing something on her face near the hairline on her forehead.

Once she took few steps back and had a better look she saw the old lady, Kashikoi fiddling with her hair. Better said her fake hair as she seemed to have a wig. Ino just shook her head at the image she thought she saw. _Who in their right mind would sew their own forehead, especially an old lady? She was just sewing her wig, right? She wasn't sewing it to her forehead, right?_

Not really daring to see more she went back to her search for some piece of her evading cook. That made her think of the delicious food and that made her think of the diner tonight and if Kakashi and Sakura will show up, because if not there will be more left for her and that would mean more running to burn out the calories. So in the end instead of a nice hot bath she went for another run that day.

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I know and as I said up there I'M SORRY for not posting sooner. With the new job and new life I didn't have as much free time as I wanted :( and especially to find some quiet time to think or write. But don't worry, the updates should be coming more often now and I will finish this! You can count on that!

Anyways, thank you for staying with the story so far and thank you for reading and I would love it if you left some thoughts behind in a review :)


	24. Chapter 24

I know you'll like this chapter *chuckle* *wink* *chuckle* Warning: smut ahead ;)

Enjoy!

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The last lights of the retreating sun were shining through the leaves on the back side of the roykan. It was a welcome sight as they have traveled at a neck-breaking speed back from the little town of Shitamura.

It was not really planned for them to go back at such a pace. In the beginning of their trip back they kept a steady pace, lightly running side by side. After some time Sakura noticed that every time she went a bit faster and got ahead of the copy-nin he sped up also, making sure he was at least a step or a bound in front of her.

She tried to test this and every time she changed the pace, Kakashi was soon to follow and catch up with her. After the fifth time this happened, she gave him tap on a shoulder and a devious smile with an exclamation of "You're IT!" and ran of to the distance.

Their little game of 'tag and run as hell' got them to the ryokan in a record time. Right now it was Kakashi who was _It_ and the pink haired kunoichi could almost feel her victory as she was about to enter their room from the little garden adjoined to their room. Just one step and the victory would have been hers, except that Kakashi finally caught up with her and tapped her shoulder just as she was to enter the room.

Kakashi's unruly hair was the first to enter the room and then the rest of his body, closely followed by Sakura.

Both were bent in half catching their breaths and grinning like idiots. The game of tag was so childish that Sakura hasn't expected Kakashi to actually take her up on it and play with her all the way to the ryokan. He was just like any other man. He just didn't want to lose to a girl.

"Not.. bad.. for… an… old man. " Sakura said between pants, still breathing heavily. Her face light up with glee and mischief.

Kakashi grabbed his heart with exaggeration. "Ouch, that hurt. This old man might need CPR in a minute." Falling down to the ground and waiting for a Sakura to come help him.

The pink haired kunoichi was not impressed by the played heart attack he was currently trying to simulate and started to undress. "You know, for such a famous ninja you sure are a one hell of a bad actor. And if you want some medical help and a mouth to mouth you will have to shower first." With a soft laugh she threw her shirt on his face and ran to the bathroom.

A second later she could heart him scrambling to his feet and opening the door to the bathroom. All the day's tiredness washed off of him the moment he saw her. She just stepped into the shower, still dressed in her underwear and bindings, and turned the water on, letting it fall on her body covered in sweat from their run.

With an appreciative smirk on his face, Kakashi started to undress from his clothes, to join his young lover under the stream of water.

The water dripping on her body from the shower made the fabric wrapped around her breasts almost see-through, making her nipples visible and rising into beautiful little peaks. All he wanted to do right in that moment was to put one perfect little nipple inside his mouth and make her moan and cry.

She was so innocently sexy that it made Kakashi almost weep, a small blush creeping to her cheeks. He was still thinking about the rights and wrongs about what they have done, or in this case are going to do, but something about the way she looked at him, the lust, and the want in her eyes, it just made him lose it and forget all the reasons why they shouldn't be doing this.

Shaking off his jacket and boots he let them fall to the ground, his hitai-ate, gloves and bag strapped to his leg followed soon after. Letting his mask pool at his neck he captured here lips. He dove into the silky feeling of her mouth, letting his tongue taste her. He felt the hunger pool in his groin. It was a long time since he had this kind of hunger for someone. That a mere kiss could make him turned on, could wake this kind of lust in him.

Not minding the water falling down on them they kissed as if there was no tomorrow. Kakashi let his hands roam her body, making her moan appreciatively into his mouth, especially when his thumb brushed over her nipple through the fabric of her bindings. Moving his kisses down her body he could still taste the salt on her skin and as the scent of her body and arousal entered his nostrils fueling his own desire for her.

The kisses on her skin felt like fire. This is the first time that such a heat accumulated in her abdomen just from few touches and kisses. She almost had an orgasm on the spot the second his teeth bit her pert nipple through the fabric wrapped around her body. This wasn't only that she had some pent up sexual frustration, this started to feel as much more, but through her lust hazed mind she was not able to think straight or process anything apart from the feel of his hands sliding on her body. Sakura concentrated on the feel of his teeth grazing her skin on her stomach as he pulled her panties down, with his teeth.

Kissing his way up her leg he could feel her shaking when he reached the little pearl right in the middle of her womanhood. Just few practiced licks after he put his tongue to work and Sakura started making incomprehensible sounds and her legs gave up on her as she rode on her wave of pleasure. Kakashi had to pin her to the wall and hold her by her hips as her legs turned to jelly.

When her legs were finally stable enough to carry her and she could see properly she looked down on wet, kneeling Kakashi he was looking at her with a smug smile on his face. If her mind wasn't still dimmed by the orgasm she reached just few moments ago, she would be very annoyed by that.

Reaching down she pulled his wet shirt off and kissed him as he stood up. Pressing his wet naked body to hers he kissed her rosy lips again, growling as her nails dug into his back. His hands moved to cup her breast, but the wet fabric was in his way so he started to peel it away, with not much luck.

"Just where exactly do you get this off?" He impatiently muttered.

Sakura just laughed, helping him find the end of the binds so he could take it off of her. "You just cut it off don't you? No wonder you never had a girlfriend, when you keep destroying her underwear."

"Who says I never had a girlfriend?" asked Kakashi as he peeled the last layers of the fabric from her body.

She gave him a look of that's-general-knowledge but her answer was silenced before it managed to leave her mouth as Kakashi resumed the kissing. This time his hand cupped her naked breast and he ran his thumb over her hardened sensitive nipple, gaining some appreciative sounds from Sakura.

The sensation of her naked skin of her breasts touching Kakashi's toned body, his hands on her behind and his lips on hers made her mind haze all over again. The need pooled on the stomach with such force that she thought she will cry in a minute if the pressure between her legs isn't intensified this instant.

Sakura jumped a bit to hoist her legs around Kakashi's waist in order to bring his throbbing hardness closer to her wet, needing center. Keeping her arms around his neck she tangled her fingers in his unruly hair and tugged at him to bring him as close as humanly possible.

Kakashi helped her to stay in place by grabbing her ass and gridding his erection into her center. Asa much as he enjoyed kissing her perfect lips he needed some release so he moved her more up her body, to get to the button on his pants. Sakura seemed to understand and hoisted herself further up his body. She liked her new view, looking at him from above, having her breasts in his face.

His pants and underwear were down in a matter of seconds and his attention was back at Sakura and her lovely breast just in the reach of his mouth. He took one of her nipples into his mouth, biting on it and than licking and sucking at it in different order, while he pushed her into the bathroom wall. The same attention was given to her other nipple before moving her a bit lower.

They kissed again, their tongues battling for dominance as her hot core touched his erect member. Sakura whimpered at the sensation and tried to wiggle and change the angle so she could take him inside, but Kakashi was teasing her, torturing her by moving enough away from her that no more than the tip of his hard shaft touched her sensitive entrance.

"Kakashi.." Sakura whimpered as once again Kakashi denied her the feel of him inside, her voice deep and broken from the burning desire.

Kakashi teased her more. He wanted her to say his name once more, in that deep throaty, lust filled voice.

"Please… Kakashi." That was all that his self-control could endure and he thrust forward, entering her in one swift motion. He was looking at her as her face distorted in the wave of pleasure as he filled her. Her mouth opened as she moaned his name in pleasure. It made his member pulse with excitement and he was afraid he would come in a minute if she kept calling his name in that voice.

The friction he created with his thrusts was pushing Sakura to new found heights. She scratched his back, trying to hold for her life as he kept moving in and out of her in that primal motion. Her legs tangled around his body helped him in his motion making the thrusts harder with each stroke. Sakura was reaching her climax quickly and as he moved one hand from her ass and pinched her nipple that was all she needed. Her inside exploded with the waves of pleasure, shaking her body and blinding her vision.

Letting out a loud incomprehensible moan she felt as Kakashi's thrusts became more erratic as her pulsing core milked his member. He let out a throaty moan as her orgasm pushed him also through the edge and made him come. Taking her lips and thrusting inside her for the last few times he had to concentrate in order to not let them both fall down as they were basking in the after climax bliss.

Slowly their senses returned to normal and with last kiss Sakura let her legs down, finding them a little unstable. With a blissful smile she leaned on Kakashi for support and let the hot water fall down on her tired body while he stroked her back.

"We should probably get ready, the dinner will be served in few minutes and I am starved. As you can recall I didn't have any breakfast." Kakashi said as he quickly scrubbed himself with soap and watched as Sakura sprouted the cutest blush on her face.

"Sorry?" Sakura said carefully, apologizing for the morning onigiri battle.

"Heal that scratches on my back and we can call it even." Kakashi retorted turning around to reveal the red marks on his back.

"I thought you'll wear them with pride." She chuckled and started to heal his very nice, sculpted back. He had few older scars and she ran her hand over them, trying to remember if she knew the story behind them. Most of them were unknown to her, it made her a bit sad that she knew so little about him, before she realized where her thoughts were going and shut them out. _I__don__'__t__need__to__know.__I__just__might__hear__something__I__don__'__t__want__to,__or__feel__for__him__more__than__I__care__for.__Not__knowing__is__always__better.__Anyway__we__will__go__our__separate__ways__after__we__get__back__to__Konoha._

Putting her emotions in check she quickly finished the healing and went to clean herself off so they could go to the diner.

Kakashi turned around and gave Sakura a little slap on the butt, making her squeal, as he exited the shower and grabbed a towel to dry himself off. Looking at her in the shower a small smile touched his lips unconsciously as a warm feeling spread inside him. With one last look he went out of the bathroom taking at least the dry pieces of their clothes with him, leaving the wet ones for Sakura to take out of the shower.

When he entered the sleeping room he found another kimono waiting for him to dress in for the night.

"Why exactly do I have to wear this? Again?" murmured Kakashi as he looked at the expensive fabric and with a resigned sigh he started to put it on, as his only wearable long pants were currently laying wet in the bathroom.

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As always thank you so much for the reviews and favs and alerts. It always makes my day :)


	25. Chapter 25

Hi All, once more sorry for the delay! I will finish this story! Hopefully I will have more time and inspiration to write. I just had a little tiny writers block but hopefully it's over now!

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, liked, followed this story and me :) and I hope you will enjoy this chapter!

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When the morning came around Sakura cracked open her eyes and squinted at the light coming into the room. Closing them again she listened to her surroundings. She had a feeling something woke her up, but she couldn't hear anything except rustling of leaves and chirping of birds outside the room. That alone wouldn't have stirred her from her sleep in a safe surrounding. Moving her hand to a space beside her she could feel the warmth of another person, but no body to which the warmth could belong to.

Him leaving the room must have been what brought her back from the nice, warm and comfortable dreamland. _I should really find out where they bought the mattress, one hour sleep on them felt like hours of rest. That could really come in handy with the night shifts._

From outside the room one could hear a sigh of pleasure when Sakura leisurely stretched her body in the bed, ridding herself of the last signs of sleep from her mind and body. A thought of following Kakashi and helping him with this mission crossed her mind, but the bed was most inviting. Of course she was intrigued, as any ninja would be, and she wanted to see this case solved, but as this was supposed to be her time off, she took out her notebook instead.

Thanks to her little _frustration issue _solved she could finally concentrate more on her work, or better said hobby. Thanks to the influence of Shizune and her shishou she was currently doing a little research for the Toxicology department on different kinds of cures and drugs that can be used on field effectively. She was currently working not only on the wide-spectrum antidote she field tested on Kakashi but also on a special soldier pill for medics. One kind of side effects of common soldier pill is involuntary muscle spasms, which for a medic is unacceptable risk when another's life is in his hands. Also the soldier pills are said to work for three days and nights, which is an exaggeration. It's full effect comes almost instantaneously and last for about 8 hours. After that the effects dwindle 10% every 2 hours which gives you around 28 hours at best, depending of your usage of your chakra and stamina. The criteria for a good medic ninja are not only above average chakra control but also big reserves. Medic ninja needs to be able to hold his ground in the fight so his team members are not busy protecting him and he still needs enough chakra left after the fight to take care of any injured comrades. Sakura was therefore looking for a stronger and more stable pill that would deliver steady supply of chakra and stamina, rather than boosting it for only 8 hours and then dwindling off. And of course she needed to eliminate the muscle spasm side effect. That is the main reason why ninja medics take soldier pills only in very dire situations.

Scribbling away for almost half a day in the bed she realized she hadn't eaten anything so she made her way to the table and helped herself to the fruit bowl and sat down on the sunny porch overlooking the garden outside.

Sakura had already a plant in mind that would help with the steady delivery of the charka and a herb that would diminish the side effect of muscle spasms, the only problem was that ironically these two plants combined together were poisonous. She was thinking of combining the antidote with the soldier pill but that would be too complicated and the side effects were too severe at the moment to work efficiently. She was stuck on this problem for over a month, trying to somehow bypass the toxicity of those two plants but after weighing the options for the last time she came to one conclusion. She put big brackets over the notes of the two plants and decided to look for a different plant that would do the trick. This was not the first time she thought of using other plants, but she was just too stubborn to let her mind fully drift that way. Eating the last apple she stood up and resolved to look for the nearest botanical book.

Dressed in her lighter ninja gear foregoing her high boots and bindings, with just her hip pouch stuffed with her notebook and light sandals on her feet she stepped out of the room and set on her way. Her head was already miles away when she accidentally bumped into a startled Kotone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Sakura hurriedly picked the maid up from the ground and started picking the load of towels she was carrying.

"I should be the one apologizing Sakura-san." Kotone managed to bow and apologize while also picking up the towels.

Once the picking and apologizing was finished Kotone bowed once more and apologized.

"Is there anything I can help you with Sakura-san?" Kotone asked politely.

"Actually, you might be able to point me into the right direction at least. I'm looking for a library?"

"Are you looking for something particular?"

"Preferably botanical encyclopedia or maybe some medical journals related to botany?" Sakura asked with a very little hope that Kotone would help her with this kind of specific inquiry.

"There should be an older botanical almanac in the ryokan library but if I may, there is something better than the old almanac if you are searching for something related to botany." Kotone gave her an impish smile and told Sakura to wait on the bench right by the gardens.

Sakura didn't mind the wait, the sun and the light breeze were a welcome company and the view of the gardens breath taking. She could not take her eyes of off the colors and shapes surrounding her and her mood turned quickly tranquil, almost lulling her into a multicolored daydream about nothing. Therefore it was no surprise that she was startled when Kotone called her name right next to her.

"I'm sorry we surprised you Sakura-san." Kotone apologized with a little bow. "Let me introduce you to your guide for the day. This is Midori." She pushed the blushing little girl in front of Sakura and nudged her to bow.

"Hello Sakura-san. Onee-san told me you were asking about plants?"

Slightly confused and speechless Sakura nodded at the little girl's question.

"Is there something you are looking for?" asked the little green eyed girl.

"Um.. ehh…" still a speechless Sakura stammered and failed to put together a coherent sentence before Kotone explained the situation.

"Midori-chan here is our little genius. Can you tell Sakura-san what is the name of that plant?" Kotone asked the little girl and pointed to a little maple tree.

"That is the Amur Maple, Acer ginnala, the most cold-tolerant maple."

"Does it have any uses, medical or such?" inquired Sakura.

"Mostly used as a decorative tree in gardens, can be also grown as a bonsai. No other uses known." repeated Midori as if reading from an encyclopedia.

"Plants seem to be the only thing she is interested in. She remembers them better than anything. She is our little walking encyclopedia."

"That is just amazing Midori-chan." Sakura smiled at the little blushing girl.

"I need to excuse myself as I have still some work to do. Please let me know if you need anything else Sakura-san." Kotone bowed and waited for Sakura to answer.

"Thank you Kotone-san for your help. I think I am in good hands here with Midori-chan." Kotone once more bowed and left them alone in the gardens.

"Your father must be very proud of you. Him being a gardener you must be a big help."

Midori's face light up like a Christmas tree when she said that and enthusiastically nodded her head so her dark green hair just flew around her face.

"I help my okasan with her vegetable and herb garden also." Midori exclaimed happily.

"If you could remember other things half as good as this …." Kotone turned her eyes and nudged the little girl. Midori just blushed adorably.

"If you will excuse me I have some work to finish." Kotone left them with a little bow.

Sakura looked at the little girl, still only half believing she could help her.

"So how does this work? Can you tell me about plants with certain properties?" Sakura questioned Midori.

Midori wrinkled her little brow and answered. "Hm, it works better if you point to a plant and I can tell you all about it."

Sakura took a look around and tried to imagine how long it would take to name all the plants around them.

"I noticed a herb garden near that shack. Why don't we start there?" Suggested Sakura and took the little smiling girl by the hand.

After hours spent walking from one plant to another neither Sakura nor Midori felt tired or hungry. They were so engrossed in their little worlds that the rest of the world vanished. Sakura had now more knowledge about the medicinal effects of plants that would last for decades of testing and infusing with other plants to get different effects. The little girl was amazing. The knowledge she had about the local flora was astounding. She hesitated only few times not sure of all the possibilities of the plant but once she took a closer look, a little touch and sniff she nodded her head with a certainty and made a whole report about it. Sakura had trouble keeping up with her and decided to take notes so she wouldn't forget anything.

Their plant hunt led them to the forest just outside of the ryokan. Sakura was scribbling away in her notebook and sketching one particularly interesting plant that was indigenous to this part of Fire Country when she looked around and noticed Midori wasn't near her.

"Midori-chan?" Sakura called the girl and stood up. Looking around her, she wasn't in sight.

Heightening her senses she searched for her as there was no answer even though she called her name few times, each time louder. Sensing her not far away she ran to her location. Stopping in a small clearing she found her sitting on a small log with her head downcast.

"Midori-chan?" Sakura called to her but received no response from her. Looking around to make sure no one else was there that could have hurt her. "Midori-chan? Are you alright?" Sakura went closer to her but the girl wasn't reacting to her voice. She crouched down by her and touched her knee trying to see her face.

"Midori-chan? Is something wrong?" She tried again to get some response from her when Midori suddenly flung herself at Sakura circling her arms around Sakura and burying her face in Sakura's neck. It took Sakura by surprise and she almost fell over with the little girl in her arms.

"What's wrong Midori-chan?" Sakura tried again to get something from her. All she got was a little more squeezing of her neck. "Alright let me take you home." Confused, she stood up and headed back to the Ryokan. When she entered the grounds she saw Shokubutsu-san and called out to him.

"Shokubutsu –san. Midori-chan was helping me and she was suddenly gone and when I found her she was like this. She is not talking back." Sakura tried to explain what happened.

Looking worried he went around Sakura so he could look his daughter in the face. "Midori-chan? " Sakura felt her move her head, probably looking at her father. They were quiet for some time and Sakura was about to ask what is going on when she felt a yank at her hair as Midori untangled herself from her and stretched her arms to her father. It felt like she took a bunch of her hair with her but she didn't want Midori to feel worse so she put a smile on her face when she looked at them.

"Is she alright?" She asked the gardener.

"She gets scared sometimes. It happened few times. I'm sorry she caused you this trouble Sakura-san."

"Oh no, Shokubutsu-san. Not at all. I should be the one apologizing. I was so engrossed in my research.. I should have paid more attention to her. I'm sorry that she got scared. She was an incredible help." Sakura wasn't even sure what the girl was scared off but she felt like it was her fault. She should have looked out for her and not her notes.

"Thank you Sakura-san, but it's really alright. She is just that way sometimes. I'll take her to her mother, she will calm her down. Have a nice day Sakura-san." The gardener turned around and headed for the herb garden where they started looking for Nana-san, Midori's mother. As he turned around she glimpsed Midori-chan's face for a split second. She didn't look scared at all. She looked vacant. Her light green eyes without any emotion at all, there was no trace of the smiling vibrant girl that was with her these past few hours.

This has left her speechless, she wanted to go after them to make sure she was alright but stopped herself. Her father has seen her, he said this has happened before, and maybe there is something else behind this that Shokubutsu-san didn't tell her. She felt as if this wasn't something she should intrude in unless they ask her to. _It's probably nothing serious; he didn't look alarmed at all._ She made a note to herself to check on Midori-chan later today, or tomorrow morning to make sure she is feeling better.

Sakura went back to her room and took some fruits from the table before she sat down on the porch overlooking the little private garden and took out her notebook. Nibbling at the fruits she looked over her notes and her mind went into override thinking of million different ways how and where to use these plants.

After quite some time she realized that her hand started to get cramps from writing and her legs and butt fell asleep from sitting in the same position for such a long time. She looked up from her notes and saw that the sun has almost set for the day. Even thought the lack of light was visible it felt to her like someone was piercing her eyes and head. That's when she realized her that her head was twice it's normal weight and her whole body felt heavy and that it wasn't just from sitting too long in one spot. She stood up and winced at the pain in her muscles. She dragged herself into the bathroom and splashed some water at her face and drank some of it.

When she looked at the mirror she noticed how pale she has gotten. "Great. Flu? Really?" She asked her looking-like-crap-reflection. Taking a glass of water she went to the bedroom and fell asleep almost immediately as her pounding head hit the pillow. Even though she was a medic, flu and cold was something that could not be cured just by little burst of chakra into the right place. She tried this once in the past, it just gets worse as one depletes the chakra reserves. It just needs plenty of sleep and steady intake of fluids.

She just felt all beaten up but there was no high temperature so that was good. She just needed to sleep it off and she would be alright in the morning. She vaguely remembered that Kakashi coming into the room and trying to waking her up. She sent him away after he felt her brow and made sure her temperature was not rising and promised to check on her after the dinner. Even though she was feeling as she was she managed to shoot a pillow at his person to shut him up. He was just being too loud for her senses right now.

Taking the slight innuendo Kakashi understood and left the room quietly, leaving her alone and making a note to himself to never approach sick Sakura carelessly, as the 'pillow' she threw at him was actually the vase that was sitting at her bed table.

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Thanks again to all who read and enjoyed this story! I promise there will be a lot of action in the next chapter! Some secrets and big revelations! Can't wait for you to read it!

Don't forget to R&R :)


	26. Chapter 26

Surprise! A very quick update from your favorite author :D Just a little warning, the next chapter will not be so quick as there will be quarter-end-hell in the work this week :'( so make me happy and read and of course ENJOY the newest chapter :)

Enjoy!

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The night was quiet. Too quiet. The living creatures in the forest seemed to hush down in anticipation. Maybe that is what startled Kakashi to wake or maybe it was the absence of heat next to him. Earlier that night he noticed Sakura standing up and leaving, probably to go to the bathroom. He fell back asleep before she came back.

He sat up on the bed listening to his surroundings. Quiet. He called her name and his only reply was more quiet. Standing up he put his pants on while walking through the room to the bathroom.

"Sakura?" he knocked on the door but no reply came back to him. He pushed the door open saw only more darkness and no Sakura. Looking around the room he saw nothing out of place but the strange feeling in the pit of his stomach was just getting stronger and stronger with each passing minute. Something wasn't right but he couldn't put his finger on it. There was just no reason for Sakura to leave the room. She looked quite sick when he left her to go for diner. Even though her fever dropped to normal by the time he returned she didn't even stir when he touched her forehead to check her.

Putting on the rest of his clothes he also quickly attached his small weapon pouch to his thigh. The bad feeling became more pronounced once he stepped out of the room. The ryokan was usually lit throughout the night. At least a light here and there so a guest in the night won't get lost. Now it was just darkness everywhere. He quietly made his way to Ino's room and was surprised to find the gardener standing in front of her doors as if keeping watch. He wasn't sure if it was to make sure she didn't leave or to keep others coming in.

Kakashi backtracked and jumped up onto the roof not wanting to confront the gardener. Looking around he made sure there was no one else beside him on the rooftops and ran silently to Ino's window. Jumping in her room through the window he saw her in the bed. She seemed to be asleep so he moved his hand to cover up her mouth to make sure she didn't give out a sound when she woke. To his surprise a kunai nearly cut his hand in half.

Recognition flashed in the blonde's eyes and before she could question the copy-nin he put a finger to his mouth to gesture that she should be quiet and then touched his ear and pointed at the doors. Ino nodded quickly understanding what he was trying to say though wondering what was really going on. She made a few hand signs and touched Kakashi's hand.

"_**What is going on?" **_Asked Ino's voice in Kakashi's head.

With family and good friends she didn't have to use the hand signs to activate telepathic communication. She and Kakashi never had too many interactions they were more of acquaintances rather than friends. The touch was just her way of preparing the subject for the mind intrusion.

"_**Not sure. Sakura is missing and the gardener is standing outside of your door." **_Replied Kakashi.

"_**She is not here either as far as I can tell." **_Replied Ino and removed her hand from Kakashi's so she could put some clothes on her.

Before they could continue with their conversation steps could be heard outside the door. They looked at each other and Kakashi quickly hid himself from sight. The doors slid open with a chilling slowness. Ino watched with big eyes, scared that she would see that ghost again. Instead a light came through the door followed by the hand that was holding it. A child entered the room, her green eyes open wide and vacant. She looked around the room as if looking for someone and spoke.

"Kakashi-san? I know you are here, please step into the light." Girl's voice split the silence and Ino finally let out her breath she was holding without realizing it.

"_**What the hell is going on? How did she know you are here?"**_ Ino asked startled and honestly more than a little freaked out by the little girl.

"**Can you read her mind?"** Came a reply from Kakashi as he slowly moved toward the light.

"Ah, there you are. I have been looking all over for you. There is a little gathering prepared just for you, please join us Kakashi." Spoke Midori and smiled as she motioned with her hand to the doors.

"Who are you?" Asked Kakashi.

She cocked her head to the side and smiled. "I am Midori-chan of course." She said it in her little childish voice. Then suddenly her face changed and a crueler smile appeared on her face "Follow me, please."

"**Kakashi! There is nothing or something." **Came Ino's voice.

"**Which is it Ino?"**

"Why should I go with you?" Kakashi tried to stall for time. His suspicions was just confirmed, he knew that that feeling in his gut when he woke up had something to do with Sakura's wellbeing.

"**I don't know. It's as if there was some kind of coat or layer around her mind. I can't get too deep. There are only the word's she is saying on the surface. I can't explain it better."**

"Your pink haired friend is with us. She would be really sad if you didn't come." Replied the child.

"**Is it the same with the guy outside?"**

After few seconds came a reply. _**"Yes but he keeps repeating the same words over and over. Guard. Keep her away. Does he mean me?" **_

She didn't have to wait for a reply as the child turned to look at her. "I'm sorry, but this is invitation only. I am sure you don't want to upset your pink haired friend. Sakura would also appreciate if you left your weapon pouches here Kakashi-san. It's rude to bring weapons to a party."

Kakashi didn't like this one bit but he couldn't risk Sakura's life when he didn't know in what state she is. He hesitated for another few seconds before slowly removing his hip pouch, followed by the one he had on his thigh.

As he stripped of his weapons the gardener moved inside the room to bind Ino. Her stance changed and muscles tensed, she was ready to fight him when Kakashi's voice stopped her_**."Let it be. We don't know what kind of situation Sakura is on. I'll deal with him quietly."**_

She relaxed and let the man come near her with shackles in his hands. _Chakra sealing shackles. They came prepared._ Ino realized startled. She didn't expect this little vacation to turn into this. She almost forgot about the little scary incident at the start of the week and hoped the rest of the stay would be nice and quiet.

Kakashi nodded his head at Midori. "Alright, lead the way."

As the child turned her back at him in a split second he had his sharingan spinning at the gardener, sending him into a dream world where he successfully bound the blond kunoichi and prevented her leaving the room for the rest of the night.

"_**Ino. He should be out for quite some time. Follow us and make sure you are not seen or heard."**_

Following the child through the halls of the ryokan his mind kept spinning images of Sakura. His stomach turned at the possibility that she is in danger. His hands clenched into fists. He had to willfully calm himself with few breaths and made himself relax his hands. Losing his cool in this kind of situation wouldn't help anyone.

The girl led him through the main hall and into the back, where the private part of the ryokan was located. The hall ended with a carved ornamental wooden statue that was pressed against the wall. She pressed her little hand at four specific places and turned little knobs of wood. Only upon close inspection one would notice the slight color difference, probably due to their usage.

The silence stretched for few moments when suddenly a little cracking noise came from behind the statue and part of the wall started to move. _I wasn't expecting this. _Thought Kakashi as he watched the girl push past the statue and into the darkness of the newly opened passage. Following her he stepped behind the statue and onto stone steps that led steeply down. The air was damp and the stairs seemed to go on forever down. When he thought their end would never come a faint light could be seen just behind a corner just as they reached the end of the stone stairs. The ground wasn't stone but dirt, he realized this was manmade, rather than a natural cave. Behind the corner was a big entrance hall illuminated by several lanterns hanging on the walls.

Midori set her lantern down on the ground and picked something else from the ground and moved to stand with the rest of the assembled people. His eyes scanned the room. Everyone from the ryokan was gathered in the underground room.

Ayako stood in the middle of the room. On her right side stood Kotone, Hokori and Izumi, the maids. Next to them stood Nana with her daughter Midori beside her. On the left side stood the old grandmother, Kashikoi and the cook, Sabaku with a rather large knife in his hand. The cold steel was pressed against Sakura's tender neck. His eyes lingered at her for a few moments, noticing she didn't have any visible wounds. He tried to make eye contact with her but she kept looking up at the ceiling.

A muffled sound made him look to the left where Kaori lay bound on the ground, hands behind her back and with a gagged mouth.

Kakashi noticed that all of them had sharp looking daggers or knifes in their hands. _This is not good at all._

Kakashi broke the silence. "I'm here. What do you want?" Not sure to whom to address his question.

His cousin Ayako was the one who answered. "The vault. Open it." She moved to the side a bit and he noticed sealed doors behind her.

"Why?" Asked slightly confused Kakashi. He really didn't expect this to be about some vault he didn't even know existed.

"Because I want it opened. Don't make me repeat myself or I will have her eye out." When she spoke those words, Sabaku moved the blade from Sakura's neck just to stop at the delicate skin just below her eye. She didn't make a sound, only her eyes looked at the dagger and then at Kakashi as if trying to tell him something.

He moved slowly towards the vault. He could at least try to open the vault, or pretend to. It would by him some time to figure this whole situation. He also wanted to use this opportunity to get closer to Sakura and maybe try to get her out of his grasp. He started to slip the hidden kunai from the sleeve into his hand when Ayako spoke up.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She brought her hand up holding the dagger. "You wouldn't have enough time."

This almost stopped Kakashi in his tracks, threats like this didn't work on him. "Time for what?" he asked, trying to create a distraction.

He followed the movement of the dagger as she brought it up, but instead of moving it in Kakashi's direction she pressed it against her own neck. It took him a moment to notice that the others made the same move. All the others moved their knives to their own throats and in perfect unison they spoke.

"To save all of them."

* * *

I'm sorry for the massive cliffhanger but It would be too long if I didn't split it into two chapters :)

Thank you for all reviews and favs :)

Anyways I hope you liked it! So don't forget to R&R. I will try to post another chapter as soon as possible!


	27. Chapter 27

Finally had the time to write! So once more sorry for the massive cliffhanger! Hope the wait was worth it.

Enjoy!

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The world around him stopped for a second and he could almost hear the clicks in his head as the pieces of the puzzle came together.

"Kugutsu Henshin." The name slipped out of Kakashi's mouth in a mere whisper.

A smile spread on all of their faces, crooked smile, almost identical on all of them. "It's nice to be recognized for once."

Bingo book entry number 25, Kugutsu Henshin, presumably male, age unknown, also known as the Human Puppeteer. No photo or description. No known affiliates. Wanted for stealing secrets, scrolls, unique treasures and multiple murders. S-class criminal, use extreme caution. Method/jutsu unknown.

Kakashi's mind went over every little piece and scrap of knowledge he had on this missing-nin. Problem was that nothing else then what is in the bingo book is known about this person. Not even rumors are spread about him as not many lived to tell the tale.

"The vault is still closed. I really hate repeating myself." Again everyone spoke up in chorus.

Kakashi's eyes widened as he saw Sakura bring her own hand up to her neck pressing a sharp kunai into the tender white flesh. _How is this..? When did he get to her?_ He watched as drops of blood trickled down the blade and her pale hand and onto the ground from the wound that appeared on her neck.

"K-k-ka-kashi." Sakura's voice came out strangled, her eyes wide and looking straight at him and her mouth still open as if to say something but was abruptly shut as if someone shut it for her.

"She is a feisty one, isn't she. Do you know what the best part is when I find new play toys? The moment they break, and the more they fight the bigger the snap." The chorus spoke up. He could see Sakura's mouth move but no sound came out this time.

Kakashi moved closer to the vault, his mind trying to make contact with Ino while he tried to look busy with opening the damned thing.

"_**Are you here Ino? Can you hear me? Ino?" **_

"_**Stop shouting. I can hear you. What the hell is going on?" **_Came Ino's reply.

"_**It's Kugutsu Henshin, the human puppeteer."**_

"_**The what?"**_

"_**Ino, please concentrate. One of them is not who he seems. You need to find which one it is. Who is controlling the others."**_

Kakashi moved to the sealed door, examining it, trying to find a way how to stall time.

"**Ino? Anything?"**

"**I don't know. I can't tell. They have the same thoughts, all of them. Maybe if you could make them talk? There should be some delay between his thoughts and the others if he is controlling them." **

"How did you find out about the vault?" Asked Kakashi, hoping the bad-villain-explanation would come, helping Ino to pinpoint the puppeteer.

"You know, here and there. I knew there were some treasures hidden in this place but when I found out that you of all people are connected to this family? Well that was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. Wouldn't you say? Kakashi Hatake, the great copy ninja and his hidden vault. We are going to have a lot of fun together once this shit place is behind us. I will really enjoy being the famous Copy ninja, I can just imagine how many secrets are stored in that head of yours and back at Konoha. And there are also some side perks, such as this lovely pinky here. We will have tons of fun."

Chills ran up and down Kakashi's spine as he watched Sakura's other hand move down her curves and back up to squeeze one of her breasts. The thought of his body being kidnapped by some creep was bad enough but to use it to… rape Sakura? He felt sick to his stomach. _Was she under his influence even before? No, I have to stop thinking like this. This doesn't help anyone, least of all Sakura. But isn't that like having sex with himself..twice..in two bodies? _Kakashi mentally slapped himself as this train of thought really didn't lead anywhere he would never ever want to go.

"_**Kakashi! I think I know who it is. The old hag!" **_Ino interrupted his train of thought.

"_**Can you use Shintenshin no Jutsu?"**_

"_**Hope it works, this is going to be disgusting. Old people are awful and-…"**_

"_**INO! Not now."**_ Kakashi had to chastise her to stop her complaining and get her head in the game.

"_**Yeah, yeah. I'm on it." **_

Ino took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Old people just crept her out and being inside one's body was even worse. _I will need to shower at least five times to get rid of the smell._ Not that it helped but it made her feel less _old_ and more herself. She was hiding in the shadows just outside the light the lanterns cast. She moved quietly to a better position so she would have a better view of the puppet master.

She made the needed hand sign and said in the merest whisper "Shintenshin no Jutsu." Her mind left her body and flew through the room and into the old lady's body. For a second she could not make sense of anything. She had more sets of eyes and hands and mouths and everyone was trying think and shout and move. It was overwhelming, the contact with the other people, their minds struggling against hers. She had to admire the mental strength of the puppet master, to be able to control so many people at once was just insanely hard. The amount of concentration one would have to have to do this was staggering.

On the outside all of the gathered people shook as if a cramp took over their muscles. Ino tried to shut out the other minds from hers, to somehow release them. She concentrated to sort them out and to shut them out one by one and one by one they dropped the knives to the ground released from her hold. The second she shut the last mind out she crumbled to the ground in the body of the old woman. She could not control it properly. It took her a few moments to realize what was happening. The body was degenerating for no better word to describe the feeling. It felt as an old person's body does, stiff, old and tired but there was something else. The body was almost dead, the smell of rot was not full-blown but she could smell it under the sweet perfume as if some parts of the body were rotting away.

While Ino was struggling to keep the body under control, the other's free of their evil keeper's commands left the knives lying on the ground and started scratching behind their ears as if trying to get rid of something.

At the same time Ino had to concentrate really hard just to keep breathing and to keep from throwing up. This was like nothing she experienced before and she knew there was probably no body worse she could enter in her life. She concentrated all her will on signaling Kakashi that she had the villain's body under control when suddenly her concentration was broken, just for a split second by one sentence.

"Mochi, what is going on here?" All heads turned to the middle aged person that entered the cave with a backpack on his back and dirt on his shoes from travel.

Ino's mind entered her own body almost painfully fast, she took a deep breath as if coming out from under the water. She felt as if a train had just hit her mind, throwing her back into her own body. The puppeteer used a millisecond of her weakened concentration to pull her out of the old body and back into hers. She had to take more than few deep breaths just to stop the vomit coming out of her. The world just kept spinning around and smelling of rot.

Kakashi was quick, but not quick enough for the Kugutsu who grabbed the fallen kunai and pressed it to Sakura's neck and backed away from the others.

"Everyone step back or she will be a tad bit shorter. Now open the vault and give me the treasures so I can get out of this dying meatsack and into the nice Hatake here."

"What treasures? What is going on here? Baa-chan?" demanded the new arrived man.

"Father? What are you doing here? Where have you been? We have been looking for you for more than a year. Mother is still looking for you. And please don't call me Mochi!" Asked the now free Sabaku.

"It's your name, Mochi. You should be proud of it. What else should I be calling you? And I got here as soon as I could. Do you know how many restaurants have Yakitori on their menu? I could not just pass that kind of research opportunity.."

"HEY! Stop ignoring my demands! I don't care about food or names! I want that vault opened and the gold and the scrolls in my hands NOW!" Screamed almost hysterical Kugutsu.

Mochi and apparently his father continued to ignore his demands as if he wasn't even there. "You were researching this whole time? What about your family? You could have sent a message at least to let us know you're alive!" Sabaku lashed out at his father.

"I was a bit confused the first few months, but I can tell you about that later. Why is Oba-chan holding a knife to the girl over there?" Continued the clueless visitor. "Oba-chan. You know well that there is no gold in there."

"Then what is there? Secret scrolls?" Henshin almost salivated at the idea of the secrets that the vault held. Finally there was someone who seemed to know about what is in the vault.

"Of course there are scrolls. The secret recipes and techniques of our clan. I just brought a new addition to the vault. We finally have it!" Beamed the newcomer, his eyes and teeth producing Gai-like glimmers. He fumbled a bit in his clothes and presented a scroll, holding it in his hands as with utmost delicacy. "The recipe for the perfect Traditional Miso Soup."

During all this the jaw of the S-class criminal was dropping lower and lower and it finally hit the ground upon the hearing of the name of the scroll. He brought it back up to the rest of his face and asked dumbfounded.

"You…the vault… recipes… no jutsu scrolls.. no gold. It's a gigantic COOK BOOK?" his voice was rising by each word and he was screaming when he got to the last sentence, forgetting all about his hostage and flapping his hands wildly from the newcomer to the vault, to himself and back. "The last six months in this dying old hag were for NOTHING?"

In his distraction the puppeteer didn't notice a hand coming out of the ground and grabbing him by the ankle. Kakashi jumped out of the ground, leaving Kugutsu Henshin buried neck deep into the ground using the Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu. Quickly trapping his mind into a nice genjutsu. Kakashi stood up and looked around to see if everyone was alright.

"What?" Asked confused Kakashi as he looked on the facepalms the majority of the people around him were sporting. In that moment his clone standing by the vault made a puffing sound and all the information about what has happened since he sent him off from Ino's room came to him.

"Oh." He almost felt sorry for the puppeteer. Almost.

Ino finally came to herself and with revenge in her eyes she set forth to pound the living daylights from the buried man, or Kakashi. She hasn't decided yet who was responsible more for this nightmare of an experience.

Seeing her approach and feeling the killing intent Kakashi moved out of the way to let her pound the villain rather than him. He moved to Sakura to make sure if she was alright but she wasn't moving, just standing there frozen to the spot. She seemed to be still under the influence of the puppeteer. Looking around he saw that everyone else was moving and talking and moving and seemed alright.

"Ino? Quit hitting the dead old lady and come here. Sakura is still out. "

Ino actually managed to give him only one slap before Kakashi stopped her.

"What? Oh yeah, there seems to be some kind of bug that is constantly pouring his chakra into the _puppets _to make them easier to control. Should be somewhere on the head." Ino managed to sort at least some of the information she gained access to while she was in that creeps head.

Kakashi remembered that the others were scratching behind their ears in the moment Ino took over the controlling body. Quickly checking he found a small red bug hiding behind Sakura's left ear. Safety first, he took out a kunai and removed the insect with its tip and squished it on the nearby stone wall.

"FUCKING BASTARD LET ME MOVE!" screamed Sakura as she finally moved from her frozen position with wild eyes and hatrered pouring out of every word. "Sorry. That just needed to go out."

Kakashi looked her in the eyes and knowing he was asking if she was alright she nodded her head and smiled a tired smile. A huge knot that was tied around his stomach loosened itself as he embraced her and placed a masked kiss on top of her head.

"Soooo.. " voice echoed in the now silent room "what is going on here exactly?" Asked once more the middle aged man.

* * *

Little explanation of names:

Mochi - is the real name of Sabaku. Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice pounded into paste and molded into shape. It's really good so if you haven't tried it yet TRY it :D

Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu - English translation Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique.

Shintenshin no Jutsu - English translation Mind Body Switch Technique

Kugutsu - puppet

Henshin - transformation, metamorphosis (if the translations don't lie :D)

Hope you enjoyed! Will update soon hopefully! There are still some unexplained things but don't worry, all will be explained in the next chapter. It's still not the end and we will get back to Sakura and Kakashi goodness!

Let me know what you thought about the chapter and if you have any questions feel free to review or send me a note! I don't bite :)


	28. Chapter 28

Here is an extra long chapter just for YOU, my favorite reader :)

Enjoy!

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The sun came up as the ragged party rose from below the ryokan. None of them felt like being alone and as it was already morning they made their way to the kitchen to make hot tea and something to eat for breakfast. The newcomer introduced himself as Wasabi, father to the cook Mochi, or Sabaku how he introduced himself before. He was the brother of Ayako's father so that made him her uncle and the son of Kashikoi Ryoori.

Kakashi asked Ino to stay behind for a minute to help him with the interrogation of the captured criminal and to make sure there were no lasting damage to the _puppets_ he controlled.

Ino refused to enter the puppeteer's body again but told Kakashi all she found out while she was in the body. She left Kakashi and went to save the gardener Shokubutsu that was still captured in the genjutsu that Kakashi cast on him. Sakura on the other hand was helping injured Kaori up the steps and to the nearest room to take care of her injuries. Kaori had a few broken ribs a nasty swelling on the left side of her face and few bruises here and there. It seems she didn't give up without a fight.

She was quietly lying on the stretched out futon and only gave a small hiss and cringed her face when Sakura pressed her hands to a sensitive spot on her body. Sakura was in her medic mode. Quietly checking all her injuries and assessing their severity, concentrating and making sure she didn't miss anything.

The quiet was broken when Kaori spoke up. "I'm not like that, you know."

Sakura looked at her in surprise, not sure if she understood what she was saying. "Pardon?"

"I'm not that type of woman who would steal someone else's man. Although with Kakashi-san I would have to remind myself that he is not free to take." Kaori smiled an almost shy smile, so unlike the ones she saw on her face before.

"How long…" Sakura wasn't able to finish the question not sure she even wanted to ask.

"Almost five months. But it wasn't so bad, once I stopped fighting it."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I should be the one apologizing actually." Kaori sat up as Sakura finished healing her and removed her hands putting them in her lap and looking at Kaori quizzically.

"Let's just say I went up and beyond of what I was ordered to do." A small blush appeared on Kaori's beautiful face as she looked into the distance and seemed to be remembering something, or someone. Sakura wondered how is it even possible for her to look so good after being kept bound on the floor in a hidden cave for several days and still look like she just freshly put her make-up on. The thing that bugged Sakura the most is that upon closer inspection Kaori wasn't wearing any make-up. Her white skin, red lips and beautifully full eyelashes were all...her.

Sakura knew there was something between this woman and Kakashi in the past, but it made her feel somehow incompetent in his eyes. This woman was beautiful, everything a man could want. She felt a little mousy and insignificant in comparison. _I can't imagine a man that would pick me instead of this porcelain doll. _

She knew Kakashi didn't like the way she was clinging to him before, but the real Kaori seemed different now, more calm and collected and attractive. Sakura had to mentally slap herself. _What do I care who he sleeps with? He is a grown man and we never said we are exclusive. He can sleep with whomever he wants to for all I care._ Even as she said it a small pinch of jealousy surfaced.

"Should we join the others?" Kaori asked and without waiting for an answer stood up and opened the door waiting for Sakura to follow her.

They found everyone already seated next to the kitchen, amazing smells already coming from the pots and some already finished dishes were seated on the table. For an outsider it must have looked like one big family reunion from the way everyone interacted with each other. Everyone was smiling and hugging and touching, a hand here a shoulder there, as if they haven't seen each other for some time.

When she looked at it from their perspective it was probably true. They were not really free to interact with each other under his _rule. _ Sakura sat down next to Ino who had a frown on her face.

The middle aged man, Wasabi, walked into the room with a plate full of more breakfast dishes and an apron on top of his traveling clothes.

"Uncle, please sit down. This is enough food for everyone." Ayako spoke motioning for her uncle to sit down next to her.

He looked critically at the, with food overflowing, table and reluctantly sat down.

"Now, would you care to explain what is that vault below the ryokan about?"

He looked at her and answered reluctantly."You know, your father was against telling you anything after your mother died. He wanted you to live a normal life without all the stress and competitiveness of our profession. The location of the vault and how to open it was knowledge of the leaders of our clan. Your grandmother and I after your mother died."

"I'm not sure I understand. What profession?" Ayako seemed genuinely surprised at the explanation her uncle was giving her.

"We are a clan of sorts, a ninja clan if that can be said. One that has no use in fighting but in gastronomy, agriculture and other, more civilian professions. We are peaceful people that give refuge and protection to those with gifts and no intention of using them for fighting. You have a gift yourself Ayako dear. The way you are drawn to fabrics and kimonos and how when you look at a person, the first thing that comes to your mind is what color and what fabric would suit him most."

"But.. but that's just a hobby." Protested weakly Ayako, not sure if to believe what she was hearing.

"All of us have _hobbies_ but there are much more. It's in our blood to be drawn to them and to use them to help others."

"But isn't that what other people do? I mean sell service?" Ino asked also a bit confused by the man's explanations.

Shokubutsu, the gardener spoke up. "We are a little bit different. Some of us can manipulate certain things around us." He left the room for a second and came back with a small potted bonsai plant and set it on the table. With just his fingertips he touched the base of the little tree and in few seconds it started to actually move and grow. Within few seconds the green plant sprouted several flowers in full bloom. Without any hand signs or jutsu he made the plant grow.

"We keep our clan secret as in the past and even now, we were hunted down by shinobi who had their sights on perfecting one or the other trait some of us possessed and to include it in their family blood line." Continued Ayako's uncle. "The Konoha Senju family line for example and Shokubutsu's family line are distant relatives."

"Your gift was subtle enough to be safe and your father didn't want you to be part of this world. He was angry at the clan and your grandmother when your mother died because we were not able to protect her." Wasabi said with sadness in his voice. "She had a very special gift. Gift of healing. When you were little she was kidnapped by a daimyo from a neighboring country. After she healed him he didn't want to let her go, but she somehow managed to escape. When she came back she was so weak… she never recovered and died within few days. It was terrible what happened and I want to agree with my brother on this, but I think you deserve a choice. If you want to take care of the ryokan as your father wanted you to or take your rightful place as the head of the clan as is your birth right."

Ayako was overwhelmed by all of this; it was clearly visible on her face that she didn't know what to do.

"You don't have to decide now. I know it's a lot to take in so don't rush into this. I'm sure Oba-chan will support either decision."

"Ehm.." interrupted Ino. "I don't think she will be doing anything. Her body is here but she is gone. It was only the puppeteer's mind inside that body." She snuffed the last spark of hope all of them harbored that she might be alive somewhere in there.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Ino spoke quietly, looking rather at the table then at anyone in particular.

"Thank you. But deep down I knew she wasn't with us anymore." Spoke up Ayako's uncle about his mother's death. " Let's not waste this food. She perfected most of the recipes for the food you see on the table. There is no better way to say goodbye to her then with the one thing she loved the most. Itadakimasu."

He was the first one to dig into the food and as soon as he took a bite a single tear made its way down his face, so in contrast with the smile he had on his face when all the memories of his childhood and of his mother came to life with the taste on his tongue. He remembered the time when he was about five years old when they were eating breakfast not so different from this one where he stood up and solemnly swore that he will either marry his mother or someone just like her. He had to laugh out loud as those words actually came true when he married his wife. They were so similar with his mother that it made him doubt sometimes if they really weren't related.

They spent the next few hours eating and sharing memories of their friend and family member. The table never seemed to get empty as Mochi, or Sabaku as he wants' to be called, and his father Wasabi kept constantly cooking more and more food and bringing it as soon as there was place for it on the table without consideration if there was room left in the occupants of said table.

When Kakashi joined them around noon, he confirmed what Ino already told them and filled in few more details. During his time in ANBU he was thanks to his Sharingan in charge of extracting information from the more 'silent' enemies. He usually didn't enjoy torturing people but there was always an exception, especially if said person hurt someone close to him.

It was strange to torture an old woman but Kakashi had no illusions as to what hid behind the skin. Kugutsu Henshin was a ruthless criminal that rarely left someone alive after he was done with them, thus the reason so little was known about him. It was hard to break him as his strong will was the only thing that remained and made him who he is but Tsukuyomi broke even the strongest. Kakashi despised using it for plain torture but he had to make sure everyone will be alright and to find out he had to make sure that this creature was saying the truth.

They were both breathing hard, one from chakra exhaustion and the second from pain he endured, not physical but psychological.

"I'll tell you, just don't… don't.." Kugutsu whispered hoarsely looking at the ground unable and unwilling to meet Kakashi's gaze.

"Are there any lasting effects?" Asked Kakashi, waiting for a hint of falsehood in his answer to serve him another dose of the Tsukuyomi hell he created for this man.

"Once the chakra insects are removed I lose all the control over them." whispered Kugutsu after hesitating a little. He wasn't used to speaking the truth but just the memory of _that_ place scared him too much to dare to speak a lie.

"Did you kill the real Kashikoi Ryoori?"

"Yes, and no. She died, her mind, soul… whatever you want to call it, left the body just minutes after I took her over. She was propably senile, her mind was one big jumble and the shock of me entering her made her lose her connection to her own body." He shrugged his shoulders, "happens sometimes when they are older or weak of mind."

"Stupid old senile bat!" Whispered angrily Kugutsu. "She kept mumbling about this treasure and secret vault in this ryokan. If she just kept her mouth shut…" whimpered Kugutsu. "Stupid, stupid recipe!" he kept banging his head on a nearby rock.

Kakashi had to stop him as he wanted him conscious for a little longer.

"Do you have any associates?" Asked Kakashi but didn't get any answer. He took the man's chin in his hand and made him look up at him letting him see his swirling Sharingan.

The man visibly paled and he could almost see the dryness of his mouth as he tried to gather enough saliva to answer Kakashi's question.

"Never. I could never trust them. I have my obedient puppets. They are all I need. They do what they are told. They would never betray me or abandon me". A sick smile spread on his face. Kakashi let the man's chin go in disgust.

"How do the chakra insects work?" Kakashi inquired further wanting to make sure he was really telling the truth and there was no chance he could control the others without them.

"Oh, they are special. Very special indeed. Before, I was alone. I could only take one body, but with those bugs I could have more. That Aburame person was really something. It was all possible thank's to him. The technique was so unique and so elaborate and yet so easy. Easy enough that anybody could produce some number of them. It was just this shitty old body that could make only nine. The tenth was too weak; it got destroyed before he could get to you. But I punished the clumsy gardener; he should have taken care of it better." He was starting to ramble.

"How do they work?" Kakashi asked again with an emphasis on work.

"Fuck you." Answered Kugutsu tiredly. There was still some fighting spirit in him left.

"Wrong answer." Kakashi made him look at him but didn't use the tsukuyomi as he didn't have enough chakra left, but used a less chakra intensive genjutsu.

All the fighting spirit he had left in him flew away after that. He sobbed for a few minutes before Kakshi slapped his cheeks to get him to focus.

"How do the chakra insects work?" he asked once again.

"They stream my chakra into the puppets, making them do what I want."

_That would explain why Sakura had such a reaction. The body must have been fighting it like and infection or virus. _Thought Kakashi.

"Were you constantly controlling their minds?"

"No one could do that permanently. I just imprinted on them most of the time, a _rule_ for example they had to follow, or a story they had to say, or a personality trait they didn't have before. The chakra insects made the order stay in place until it was replaced by a different one or piled another one on top."

Kakashi had few follow up questions to find a deception in the previous statements but found just truth When he was done he sealed him in a special scroll he carried with him since his time in ANBU. Once again it proved to be useful and once in Konoha he will submit the scroll with the puppeteer to the Interrogation Squad. He certainly had a lot of secrets to tell about before he would be executed. Or maybe a more suited punishment would be to let him live out his days in the slowly rotting corps of the old woman he killed for bunch of recipes. Either way the copy ninja would be happy with the punishment for this twisted creature of a man.

He was thinking about the past the whole time he was interrogating Kugutsu. It fueled some of his anger towards the puppeteer and one of the reasons he didn't feel too much disgust with torturing him.

The images of past were persistent as he kept remembering the cold steel pressed to Sakura's white neck. The feeling of dread was so similar as _that_ time.

_The mission itself was easy enough but none of them expected the trouble they encountered on their way back. It just started raining and his squad leader ordered them to stop. Their white ANBU masks seemed to shine in the darkened forest. The sound of rain falling on the leaves was drowning all other sounds but Kakashi and the remaining three people waiting next to him knew better. They felt a group of five ninja approaching their position. Their squad leader signaled them to take out the assailants as the killing intent of the approaching party was almost palpable. _

_Kakashi jumped to the left to intercept the assigned attacker. The lightning that split the sky dulled the light coming from his chidori that brought down his opponent instantly. He saw that each of his team mates had brought down their opponents, leaving just one to deal with. As he looked around he wasn't able to locate him. The time went by but no movement could be heard or sensed in their vicinity. They were all standing ready to fight the attacker. The sound of cracking porcelain made him look back at his team mate._

_When he turned he saw as the whiskered porcelain mask shattering to many pieces, revealing Rin's surprised face. Kakashi hurried to where she was standing, seeing the blood coming from her forehead. His two other teammates were already fighting with the opponent and before he reached her the attacker was dead._

_She fell to her knees and before she could fully hit the ground Kakashi caught her. _

"_Rin!" Kakashi called to her as he laid her on her back in his arms not comprehending why she wasn't moving._

"_Rin!" He kept calling her name and trying to see the life in her opened eyes that wasn't there. The enemy ninja had shot some projectile straight into her head._

"_Rin!"His vision blurred as the water kept persistently falling down on them. He hazily realized that it wasn't rain but tears that were falling down his face. He angrily pulled his ANBU mask off and looked around at his teammates as if asking them to tell him it wasn't true. That Rin wasn't lying dead in his arms. That he broke his promise to protect her. His young kohai stepped closer putting an arm on his shoulder and shaking his head._

_He looked back at Rin's face and could not believe this has happened. It was her eighteenth birthday today. He was planning on taking her out when they got back to Konoha. They would eat and laugh and remember the better times when Obito and Minato were with them and then they would as for the past few months end up naked in the bed and maybe this time he would be able to tell her how he really felt. He would have told her how much she meant to him. That he loved her._

_It was when the rain stopped that he realized he has been holding her and sobbing into her dead ear over and over those words she should have heard when she was alive. When he looked up he saw his kohai and squad leader squatted nearby with their heads lowered also in mourning of their friend and teammate. _

_Kakashi managed to compose himself enough to stand up with Rin's body in his arms and started walking back home, back to Konoha that would be that much emptier without another friend. That day he left ANBU and swore to himself that if he is lucky enough to find someone that makes him feel like Rin did, so alive and happy, that he will not hesitate to tell them how he felt, he wouldn't lose another precious person without them knowing how he felt._

Sometime after lunch, even though it was hard to tell when one meal stopped and the other started, alcohol started to be served. The wormed sake bottles were now in front of everyone and Kotone started playing another beautiful song and Kaori sang the words with her voice, sweet as honey.

Kakashi was mostly quiet but kept drinking and eating as everyone else. Ino was moping about Mochi's name and Sakura was just happy that all worked out and with each gulp of warm sake kept celebrating her freedom. The experience of being so helpless was something she didn't want to remember. Something she though she left behind with that twelve year old her. She could protect herself now, she wasn't a burden to anyone, or so she has thought before that creep got that ugly red insect on her using poor little Midori-chan. Sakura excused herself to use the restroom and freshen up as she felt the alcohol going to her head a bit and unknown to her was promptly followed by Kakashi.

Sakura washed her hands and looked at herself in the mirror checking the small pink line on her neck. She changed her bloodied clothes earlier in the day and made herself more presentable. The events of the early morning seemed so far away now that the only reminder was the little pink line on her neck. She gave a last look into the mirror when she was leaving the bathroom, as many girls did, and was startled to find herself pressed to the manly chest of the one and only copy ninja who was looking at her with a hungry eye. She could see the mischievous glint in his eye as he brought his lips to her ear. She could smell the sake on his breath but she didn't mind at all as he whispered. "Mind if we go somewhere more private for a while?"

Those simple words made Sakura shiver all around her body. That low husky voice of his and the promise of the upcoming pleasure was a bit too much for her and she found that her knees started to turn into jelly. She was very glad at that moment that he was keeping her in place with his hands on her waist. She gave a little yelp when she felt his hand wander more south and quickly squeeze her butt, moving her body even more into him, if that was even possible. As her knees turned to jelly, so has her mind that was already supplying her with a lot of Kakashi-and-sex-related images. She merely tugged his mask down and hungrily kissed his welcoming lips.

The trip to their room took much longer than one would think as they paused at every turn to exchange kisses and caresses, hungry for each other's bodies.

When they finally made it to their room they barely stopped to close the doors behind them and fell on the bed. Kakashi pressed Sakura into the bed and almost growled as she arched her back into him. Her body fitting so nicely into his and her skin hot and soft under his fingers. His mind was clouded with lust and also happiness that she was alright that he had hard time forming any coherent thoughts. He knew he was mumbling some reassuring words that did not really register with him until Sakura pushed him off her and asked him to repeat what he said.

"What?" asked slightly confused Kakashi at her actions and her frown. There shouldn't _be _a frown on her face at this time.

"You said you are falling for me." said Sakura with shock in her voice.

_Did I really say that? I thought I only thought that. Crap. It's probably too soon to say something like this to her. I wanted to take her out on a proper date once we come back to Konoha and wait a few weeks to make sure that what I started to feel for her was really true or just an old man's wish._ Even as he thought it he remembered his own promise and this plan to take her out on date had a bittersweet taste as he almost lost her tonight. In that moment he knew that the clenching of his heart was more than just a fear for a friend. It was the small regret creeping in the back of his head that he might not be able to tell her how much these past few days meant to him, how much_ she_ meant to him. The situation brought up so much of the past that it scared him. The thought of losing someone important to him again without telling what he felt. He started to feel insecure the more time passed and as Sakura's frown deepened waiting for him to say something. Even the great copy ninja in the face of possible rejection was insecure as most human beings.

"Is that bad?" Kakashi asked with uncertainty in his voice as Sakura moved from under him and sat on the bed.

"I don't think we should see each other anymore." Replied Sakura with a voice void of any emotion and unreadable expression on her face.

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I know! Another cliffhanger! Please bear with me as the next chapter will have more answers.

I can't believe we are nearing the end, there are just about 4 chapters left! So enjoy this story until the end and hope you will also like and enjoy the new one I have already planned in my head. This time though it will be Neji and Tenten as the main protagonists.


	29. Chapter 29

Hope you like the quick update :) at least me being sick brings happiness to others :D (and more free time for me)

Enjoy!

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Kakashi felt like someone just punched him. He sat up and looked at her stern face and tried to find the answers, tried to read her as when she was younger when she had all emotions on the palm of her hand for everyone to read in those vibrant green eyes.

That girl was gone, not even the flicker of amusement that played in her eyes most of the time was there. What he saw right now was something unexpected and unimaginable. It's as if someone had pulled all her emotions out of her and put this emotionless husk in front of him. He saw this before on other shinobi, those jaded absent eyes, that face that never gave a true smile that would reach the eyes. And as soon as he saw it she pulled it back and gave way to a frown that seemed to be more genuine, but Kakashi was beyond confused. His mind usually working fast and sorting through facts and emotions at light speed under normal or battle circumstances was failing him at this moment. He at last managed to mentally slapp himself to regain some composure.

"Why Sakura?" asked Kakashi with a calmer voice, not letting her see or hear his inner turmoil, dreading the answer.

"Because I assumed you understood what this was about." continued Sakura with a slight irritation in her voice, as if she was speaking to a mere child that did not understand why he needs to take a bath before bedtime. This irked Kakashi to no end but he didn't let it show.

"And what is this about?" Kakashi probably knew what her train of thought was but the hell he is not going to make this easy for her. He knew the real Sakura is there somewhere, the old, honest, temperamental Sakura that he knew from years ago and not this emotionless shell she was trying to present to him now.

"A good arrangement. Nothing more." Answered Sakura and stood up from the bed crossing her arms in front of her.

"I'm not sure what arrangement are you talking about Sakura?"

"I'm sorry Kakashi, I thought we both wanted the same thing here. I'm not looking for a relationship. I thought you of all people would understand that."

"And what is that supposed to mean? _Me_ of all people?" Kakashi's anger flared and he let it show on his face.

Sakura's eyes gave way to her own anger and frustration. "It means that you are not really known for having long term relationships. You leave more broken hearts behind you after your one night stands then Genma. All I wanted was some good time. Is that too much to ask? What is wrong with guys these days? I thought men wouldn't have a problem with having some fun with no strings attached."

He didn't expect this, certainly not from Sakura. The pink haired, green eyed girl, that dreamt of romantic, eternal love. _What the hell happened that made her so cynical about love and life?_

She saw something in his eyes that she didn't like. Pity, judgment or both. She didn't want pity and certainly didn't need him to judge her or her decisions. Her emotions flared and before she could stop herself she stepped closer to the bed and pulled his book from under the mattress.

"Think you'll need this now more often." Her words were dripping with anger and hint of disgust as she threw it at him and without looking back she stormed out of their room.

She made her way to the forest. She wanted to be alone or else she might punch someone. Instead she took it out on an innocent by-standing tree. It took her about an hour to make the whole tree into tiny splinters. She took a step back from her handy work and feeling that most of her anger was out of her system she turned to go back to the feast sensing that Kakashi was still in their room.

When she entered the room she found Ino arguing with Izumi, both already slightly drunk.

"You did that?" asked Ino still not believing the blue haired girl sitting opposite from her.

"That was aaaaaall me." Smiled Izumi devilishly and hiccupped at the end of the sentence, pouring Ino another drink.

"You scared the shit out of me!" Exclaimed the blue eyed blond and drank the small sake cup. She was about to return the favor and pour some sake for Izumi when she stopped herself.

"Wait a second. I'm not sure I want to be friends with someone who enjoys scaring people with fake ghosts from mist." Said Ino dejectedly and with a pout.

"And I don't need a friend who tries to steals my man!" Izumi declared and in a second realized what she said and looked at Mochi with a bright red blush on her face and ran out of the room. The surprise on Mochi's face was visible but a smile and panic soon followed the initial emotion on his face. "Izumi! Wait! Izumi." Mochi stood clumsily up and ran after the pretty blue haired girl and that was the last anyone saw of them that night.

Sakura sat down next to Ino, taking the liberty to drown the rest of the sake in the bottle that Ino sat down on the table. She didn't bother with pouring it into the cup and just drank it out of the bottle. She would need more bottles if she was going to get really, really drunk as she intended. One of the good, or in this case bad, perks of being the Hokage's apprentice. She built up a really good tolerance for alcohol thanks to Tsunade.

Ino was sitting with a pout on her face and Sakura nudged her to take her out of her daydream.

"What's wrong?"

"How can someone name his son Mochi?" Ino shook her head disbelievingly.

"Someone named Wasabi?" Sakura supplied a reasonable explanation and in took all three seconds for them to sucubm to a fit of laughter.

"I wonder what his mother's name is." continued Ino with a speculation.

"Itadakimasu?" suggested Sakura making them almost roll on the floor with laughter.

When they finally calmed down Sakura smiled at Ino. "Thanks pig, I needed the laugh." She smiled at her friend.

"What? Trouble in paradise?" asked Ino half jokingly.

Sakura contemplated of talking to her friend about the whole situation but decided against it. She needed to process is internally first before she could even start to explain it to Ino.

"Nah, he was just tired. You know how old people get." giving Ino a cheeky smile.

After they found few not fully empty bottles and after few silent drinks Sakura breached a topic with Ino that came up in discussions with for the past year constantly and talking to Ino when she was drunk was the best approach.

"So when are you going to admit it?"

"Admit what?" Ino asked with a fake innocent expression on her face.

"Do you want me to say it? Do you want me to say his name?" threatened her Sakura. She and the other girls, Hinata and Tenten, were trying to get her to admit her feelings for him for the past year, since THE incident, but she was too stubborn for her own good. So they made a pact that every time she was drunk (because otherwise she would be able to run and deflect their questions better) they would ask her about him.

Ino kept going out with anyone and everyone just to prove that she didn't have any feelings for him, but very quickly found something wrong with each of them, keeping herself in the character of the superficial blond flirt that people who didn't know her thought she was. She was hiding behind the blonde bimbo act as good as she could but her friends saw through her and sometime she hated that. She felt better if people underestimated her. It made her feel as if she had the upper hand, having more options.

"No, you don't have to because there is nothing to admit."

"Are you kidding me? Did you actually look at Mochi?"

"What does he have to do with anything?" Ino wrinkled her nose disapprovingly when Sakura said his name.

"Whatever, Ino-pig." Sakura gave up, she didn't have the energy anymore to argue with her friend. She just wanted to get really drunk and get rid of the dull feeling she had when thinking of her argument with Kakashi. Luckily for her someone brought more bottles of warm sake to the table so she liberated three of them for herself.

After two bottles Ino was still pouting with a frown on her face. She seemed to be thinking really hard, probably about her own love life. She noticed Sakura was looking at her after several minutes; she wanted to smile at her and tell her all was alright but her smile wavered in few seconds and she let her real feelings show on the surface.

Sakura just smiled at her and gave her a hug when she saw the tears waiting to be spilled out of her baby blue eyes. Sakura held her as the good friend she was and waited for her friend to calm down. Sakura knew she didn't want love in her life anymore, it brought more pain than good, at least where she was concerned. On the other hand she wished that at least her friends will find what she dreamt of as a little girl and knew that in their case it would last. She was just cursed in this matter and didn't want to tempt fate anymore with trying to find love for herself. When Ino pulled away from her hug she didn't look at Sakura and kept staring at the table with her head hung low.

"What if he doesn't want me anymore? I was so awful to him." Ino said after several minutes with a quiet voice.

"Do you want to end up wondering _what if_ for the rest of your life?"

Ino just nodded her head. Her friend was right. She was scared from the beginning, scared of being rejected for her personality, scared of her own feelings for him. She made up her mind. She will give them a chance if he will let them. No more running away, no more hiding. She was feeling tremendous relief at her decision but at the same time dreaded the day she would see him.

Sakura in the meanwhile managed to drink through her sixth bottle of sake during the last two hours and was on a good way to passing out. She helped her to her feet and wanted to take her back to her room when Sakura weakly protested, that she didn't want to go back to him and wanted to sleep in Ino's room instead. As Ino herself was feeling quite drunk she didn't have the energy to argue with another drunken person so she just dragged her to her own room, which was conveniently much closer then Sakura's room

Sakura was dragging with her another battle of sake that she didn't want to let go so Ino had to pry it out of her hands as she didn't want to sleep in after-sake-smelling wet bed. Sakura was fast asleep, snoring softly into a pillow.

Ino wasn't feeling like sleeping yet, so she sat down to the small table in her room with the half empty sake bottle. After few sips of the liquid courage she decided that she needs to take action now, or she will chicken out in the morning, or worse, will not remember her own decision.

She found a piece of paper and pen and somehow managed to summon her familiar. A small wild boar with a red ribbon around its neck named Angelina. She scribbled the note and gave it to the little boar to deliver it to the right person.

With a happy smile on her face she went to the bed. She had a really good feeling about this and was happy to go back tomorrow to Konoha.

Before falling asleep she went through her note in her head over and over again before she finally fell asleep.

_Dear Choji_

_Firstly I want to apologize for all the awful things I said to you. I didn't mean them and I should have never said them. It wasn't right and it wasn't true. I don't understand how I deserved your friendship or the feelings you conveyed to me. I wish I could take everything back. I hope you still see me as more than a friend and we can talk about us when I get back home tomorrow._

_I hope you can forgive me. _

_Love Ino._

_P.S.: You won't believe who is getting married. Sakura and Kakashi!_

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__I really, really enjoy writing these parts :D there will be more fun once they get back to Konoha :)


	30. Chapter 30

Me again :) FAST update huh? :) hope you will enjoy!

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The morning was horrible. The morning was painful. These kinds of morning feelings were usually reserved for Mondays. Each sound was piercing her brain like a sharp senbon being thrown through her head. Sakura could hold her liquor, she was trained by the best, but the one thing she always forgot about was the morning after. She could not hold her mornings after. The massive hangover she was now sprouting was the painful remembrance as to why exactly she didn't drink excessively that often.

When Sakura woke up it took her few minutes to gather her wits and deduce where exactly she was. Her brain slowly loaded the information from last night, not remembering how she got to Ino's room at the end but was nonetheless thankful she didn't wake up next to Kakashi in this state. She wanted to groan but the quiet whimper she released a minute ago when the sun hit her eyes told her that any sound, coming even from her is not a good idea.

She slowly sat up and found a painkiller and a glass of water sitting on the bed table next to her unladylike drooled-on pillow. Thankful that Ino remembered how bad it was for her in the mornings she analyzed her stomach movements and decided it was safe to take the pills now without the need to visit the toilet.

One of the reasons for shinobi not to drink was that chakra manipulation was really, really hard when you had alcohol in your system especially if you had too much alcohol in you and you had trouble to concentrate. A medic-nin has to have a very good chakra control, and to have good chakra control you needed to be mostly sober to perform the easiest types of healing, hence another reason why Sakura didn't get drunk so often, because her hangovers were usually that bad that she couldn't even help herself and had to rely on pills to get rid of the splitting headache.

She managed to drink the whole glass of water when Ino came back into the room holding Sakura's bag in her hand.

"Thought you might not be up to the task. Kakashi wants to leave within the hour. Will you manage to eat something?"

"I'll think about it in the shower." Sakura tried to keep the image of food out of her mind for the time being, at least until the pills kick in.

"How is your head?" croaked Sakura with her hangover raspy voice.

"Not good enough to help either of us. Sorry." This time she actually looked apologetic.

Sakura carefully stood up and took clean travel clothes from her bag and went to have a refreshing shower that would hopefully make her feel more like a human.

It took her nearly forty five minutes to get cleaned up and come out of the shower in presentable state. She found a plate of plain onigiri and some herb tea on the small table. She took a sniff and a sip of the deliciously stomach-calming tea and actually managed to eat two onigiri balls before she noticed the time.

One really infuriating thing about Kakashi Hatake was his perception of time. In Konoha he was always late, no matter the circumstances, even for the departure on missions he managed to be late, keeping his customers and teammates waiting. The only exception was once the mission was finished and he set a time for departure he managed to be precisely on time, even going so far as to chastise anyone who dared to be late for most of the time it took to get back home.

Sakura knowing about his annoying habit made sure to show up on time as she really wasn't in the mood to listen to him or to even talk to him for that matter. She was stubbornly refusing to think about yesterday, not wanting to deal with any of it at the moment. She was looking forward to going home so she could either lock herself up in her apartment and process the whole week emotionally, alone and without witnesses or burry herself in work at the hospital not allowing herself time to even think about it until it would just fade away like a dream she doesn't want to remember.

All of the inhabitants of the ryokan were gathered in the front garden near the main entrance, wanting to say goodbye to trio. Kakashi was just in a reluctant hug by Ayako who had him swear to keep in touch and stop by anytime he was near. Sakura noticed that Mochi and Izumi were holding hands and both were sprouting a nice red blush on their cheeks.

When all goodbyes were said they made their way back home. Sakura refused to make eye contact with Kakashi, managing not to speak to him directly and she knew he was punishing her by setting this breakneck fast tempo, knowing full well that she would not protest as there would be another lecture about alcohol coming from him if she dared to speak up and request a more slower tempo. He didn't have understanding for drinking excessively on a mission, even though technically she was just on a holiday, she knew she drunk way too much and should they be attacked on their way back she wouldn't be able to use her powers and skills at 100 percent.

So she just swallowed the breakfast that was for the umpteenth time making its appearance from her un-cooperating stomach and tried to not lose Kakashi from her sight. She chanced a glance at Ino and knew she was better off, her hangover long gone and she was actually smiling. If she had the energy to run and talk at the same time she would have asked her what's so amusing.

They made just a short break to drink some water and have a toilet break and they were off for another round of running at high speed. Within few hours Kakashi finally slowed down and Sakura let out a grateful sigh. Kakashi didn't even stop as he pulled out his book and started reading and walking towards Konoha that was just fifteen minutes walk from them. There was no need to alert the patrols and gate watchers by running in at full speed. It was an unwritten rule that if there is no emergency, such as injury or highly important information, one does not enter Konoha in full throttle and startle the guards unnecessarily.

As they were walking right now Sakura managed to actually think and talk without the fear of losing her footing due to lack of concentration. When the gates were almost visible on the horizon she remembered one very important piece of information she forgot to share with Ino. She would have slapped herself if she wasn't afraid of the headache coming back.

"Oh, Ino. Hold on a second." She wanted Kakashi to be mostly out of earshot.

"What's up forehead?" Ino stopped impatiently looking at her friend and back toward to the Konoha gates, trying to see if by any chance Choji was waiting there.

"Could you not tell anyone about Kakashi and me?"

Ino frowned at her request. _Did they split up? Was that why she drunk so much yesterday? _"Why?"

"Because I lied to you? We were never going out and we pretended to be engaged so he could get Kaori off his back. It was supposed to be just for that evening, but then Ayako came and the whole mission.. Just don't tell anyone as there is nothing to talk about really."

Ino's mouth just came open as she looked at her friend. She wasn't really angry at her, she didn't believe she was really going out with Kakashi in the first place, but the way he was looking at her at the ryokan when he thought no one was looking, and how happy Sakura seemed in a long time, she thought it was real. Then she remembered the note she sent to Choji and paled at the implications.

"Oops.." Ino slipped the word involuntarily.

This time Sakura gaped at Ino as she saw her pale and mutter the _oops. _"Oops? What do you mean by ups? There should be no _oops _in this conversation. What did you do Ino?" Sakura's voice kept getting louder with each word and Ino just gulped afraid for her wellbeing if Sakura got over boiling point.

She brought her hands up defensively "I kind of sent a note to Choji yesterday night."

"To Choji….?" Once again if she wasn't afraid of the headache coming back in full force she refrained from slapping her forehead.

Little known fact about Choji Akimichi was that even though he didn't look like it he was the worst gossip-spreader in Konoha right after Ino Yamanaka. His daily trips to different shops and food stalls and restaurants made him an easy target to pry information out of him by the gossip hungry villagers and having the one weakness Choji had, food, he was easily susceptible to sharing this information with them, thus actively spreading rumors around Konoha.

Sakura just hoped that Choji didn't have time to spread this juicy gossip around Konoha yet but it was soon crushed as when she looked towards Konoha she could see dust rising from the road as one orange clad man was running full throttle towards them and screaming on top of his lungs.

A vain popped at her forehead and Ino was glad that her attention was directed at the fast approaching kyuubi container. Sakura ran forward to intercept Naruto as he reached Kakashi and was about to do something stupid. She punched him on the head so hard that he stayed seated on the ground with a questioning and hurt look.

"Baka! What do you think you are doing?" She kept her fist menacingly in front of his face trying to calm down.

"But Sakura-chaaaan. Kakashi-sensei is being pervert! I'm just trying to protect you." Naruto wailed from the ground, not wanting to provoke her more by standing up and massaging the place of impact on his head.

"Why do you think I need protecting, baka?"

They didn't have time to continue as two masked ANBU appeared and announced that they are to escort Kakashi and Sakura to the Hokage.

Just few minutes later they were all, including Naruto in the Hokage's office staring at an angry Tsunade.

"Baa-chan, he was making indecent proposal to Sakura-chan!" accused Naruto the stoic copy-nin standing near the doors, his book pocketed when he entered the Hokage's office. Sakura followed his accusation with another punch at the blond head.

"Naruto!" she ground through clenched teeth, "I already told you that nothing happened! I was just helping Kakashi with the mission."

Tsunade had a frown on her face and was quietly assessing the situation.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Tsunade raised her voice on the intruder. "Out! Now!"

He was about to protest when Sakura took another step closer to him. Having two punches in a row from her was enough for today. He would just wait for her outside and make sure she was alright.

Once the doors were closed behind him she turned her attention to Kakashi.

"Is that true Hatake?" Aksed pointedly Tsunade the copy-nin looking into his droopy eye.

"The engagement was pretended as Sakura has already explained." confirmed carefully Kakashi, not willing to go into details as Sakura was adamant about putting all that happened between them behind her.

She wanted to pry more when Sakura interrupted her.

"Shisou, please. Could you not make a big deal out of this? All of this is just a misunderstanding." When she saw that the Hokage has calmed down a bit she continued. She wanted to get out of here as soon as possible and visit her shower and bed as early as possible. "May I be excused now please? It was a tiring trip and I would like to prepare for tomorrows shift at the hospital." She asked as politely as possible.

Tsunade just nodded her head and watched as Sakura exited the room and as Kakashi was about to follow her out.

"Hatake, where do you think you are going?."

"Is there something else Hokage-sama?" asked Kakashi trying to look innocent and praying to any and all gods that Tsunade had a good day and would not pry anymore into the now non-existent relationship with Sakura.

A cruel smile spread on her face as she looked at Kakashi and a sudden storm appeared outside, basking the office in a sinister light. He could swear half of the Konoha had to hear him gulp when he took a shaky step towards the Hokage and cold sweat run down his spine.

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Reviews are always welcome :)


	31. Chapter 31

Another super quick update! AND super long - well at least from me, I think the longest one I have posted yet :) I had this in my head for such a long time that these last few chapters are writing themselves :)

Enjoy!

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It was already two weeks since they returned back to Konoha. Kakashi, as every morning he was in Konoha, was squatting on his feet in front of the memorial stone talking to those that were not with him anymore. He had difficulty to concentrate on only one thing, feeling like a jittery teenage boy. The visit to the stone usually helped him to sort things out in his head, to calm the racing heart, to put clarity into upcoming decisions. But during the last two weeks his mind kept racing between memories and not even the solemn peacefulness of the stone could rid him of the newfound confusion. He wasn't sure what to do. He had been so sure before, his resolve about love has been so one-sided that he wanted to slap himself, not thinking about the receiver of his feelings.

The discussion he had with Tsunade came back to his mind.

As he stepped closer to Tsunade a lightning struck behind her and if he wasn't the man he was he would have jumped at the light and the almost immediate thunder. Tsunade motioned for him to sit down and took a bottle of sake from a hidden compartment in the table and two cups, pouring one for each.

"So Hatake, tell me what really happened. And please spear me the lies." She still saw his hesitation. "This conversation is not with the Hokage, but with a concerned mother figure and a friend."

Kakashi understood what she was saying and uneasily noted that she didn't mention there would be no bodily harm coming to his person should she hear something she doesn't like or approve.

"She started it and she ended it." Kakashi tried to be as vague as possible. He wasn't one to discuss such personal matters, especially with the Godaime who could neuter him with the flick of her finger. He heard the story and he wished he hadn't because he had almost incontrollable urge to cover his valuables every time the woman was in sight. He didn't believe it at first, thinking it was just another rumor, but Izumo and Kotetsu were looking through old mission reports and came across _that_ particular report with a detailed explanation of what and especially how it happened. Since then he held an even greater respect for Jiraya as he was one of the witnesses of said incident and still managed to look her in the eye and anger her knowing full well what she could do to him.

She sipped her sake quietly. "Why did she end it?"

"Isn't that something you should be asking her?"

"She won't tell anything, not even to Ino. That's why I'm asking you. If you care about her, and I think you do, you will answer my questions. Please." Tsunade snapped at him a little impatiently.

He was a little taken aback; this was probably the first time he heard her say please. _Since when did the Hokage plead?_

"I expressed a possibility of deeper feelings for her and she got angry and said she isn't looking for a relationship and broke it off."

During the night when they had fought, he was trying to figure out what the hell happened. He didn't return to the dining room in hope that time would make her less volatile as he went after her and saw her pounding an innocent tree into oblivion. He stayed the night on the roof, thinking over what happened and making some head and tales of what he was feeling and what he wanted or should do.

When she didn't come back to the room to sleep he wanted to at least talk to her in the morning but she managed to ignore him. It irked him that she was going about it like a child and not a grown-up that she was. The it's-not-there-if-I-shut-my-eyes philosophy was something Kakashi didn't acknowledge. He wanted to clear things up with her, at least for the sake of their past if not for the future. He might not have kept in touch with her that much, but he still considered her as one of his friends. He was hurt and had to admit to himself also angry at her for dismissing his feelings so easily.

He tried to make at least some eye contact with her in the morning and during the trip, but she refused to look at him or even talk to him. Her adamant denial of anything happening between them had surprised him. She didn't even bat an eyelash at her lies to both Naruto and Tsunade, not even a small blush appeared on her face.

Now he was sitting here, with his Hokage, unsure of how this discussion might help Sakura.

"Did she tell you why?" asked Tsunade with a concerned frown on her face.

He really didn't enjoy this conversation. "She was looking just for.. ah.. ehm.. physical relation, not an emotional one."

There was complete silence for the next few minutes, disturbed only by Tsunade drinking her cup of sake and refilling it once more.

"I'm going to tell you, because I care for her like my daughter and I will not let anyone hurt her, even if it's herself."

"She thinks no one knows, but what kind of Hokage would I be if I didn't know what happens in my village and to my apprentice nonetheless."

"When Sasuke died she was very sad, when her father died a year later, making her an orphan she was crushed, but when her boyfriend died the next year she… became broken."

The only reason Kakashi's jaw didn't hit the floor was because of his mask. _She lost so many precious people in such a short time? _That's when it dawned on him.

"Those three braids she has…" he left the thought unfinished and Tsunade confirmed it with a nod of her head.

"When that boy died, she shut herself in her apartment for a week and when she returned her hair was shorter and she started wearing those annoying three braids." _A constant reminder of those she lost._

"How did he die?" Kakashi asked after a while of silence, trying to find out more about this boyfriend of Sakura's.

"He was her patient. A civilian. He was part of her research group. He died due to the same illness as her father. She promised her father on his death bed that she will find a cure for it."

"Did she?"

"Yes… and no."

Tsunades answer confused Kakashi and she must have noticed as she continued.

"This illness seems to be connected to chakra molding. That's why it affects mostly civilians who do not use chakra consciously. The chakra flow in civilians is irregular and hectic which may cause in some cases, such as with her father and Daichi, congestion of those pathways and subsequently causes tumors or in worse cases internal bleeding and organ failure. The only cure is to train to use or at least to circulate chakra consciously. She was the one who found the connection between the chakra flow and the illness." continued Tsunade with her explanation.

"Daichi? Was that his name?"

Tsunade nodded in affirmation. "He was just few years older than Sakura. A very smart boy. I think that appealed to Sakura most. His intelligence and his attitude. He could rival Naruto with his everlasting smile and optimism. She doesn't know that a nurse walked in on them when they were _playing doctor_." Tsunade actually snickered when she remembered her and Dan playing the same game and Shizune walked in on them.

"He died that morning of brain hemorrhage. The nurse was worried about Sakura so she came to me when he died. I forbade her to say anything to anyone about it, not wanting unnecessary rumors spreading around."

"She took a week off and when she returned to the hospital she had cut her hair and pretended like nothing happened. The research had been concluded and she handed me the report that evening. She didn't mention anything about Daichi. I tried to give her time, I tried to talk to her, I even tried to get her drunk to get her talking but that was another failure. I even tried to get Ino Yamanaka on her case but even her best friend failed for all I know."

"When did this happen?"

"Two years ago. She closed herself up and if you look closer you can see the fakeness of her smile as it rarely reaches her eyes as it used to. She is trying to bury all her emotions." Tsunade downed another sake cup and looked genuinely concerned and sad at the memories of her student. After a moment of silence she looked Kakashi into his eye.

"And why exactly do you think I would be able to do anything about it if I may ask Hokage-sama?"

"You may think you are unreadable Hatake but that one visible eye is more telling sometimes then a book." Tsunade knew something was up when Hatake actually showed up on time and when she asked him too. Even if ANBU were sent to escort him, he wasn't the one who would come. He always came in his own time and fashion when he deemed the time was right. He actually wanted to see how Sakura will react and what she will say.

"Her bond with you is stronger, you being her ex-teacher and.. all.. and given your own past you just might be the right person to talk some sense into her. She is too dear to me to let her do this to herself. This is not an order, this is a plea. Help her if you can because short of pounding some sense into her with my fists I am out of options."

They sat quietly for some time before Kakashi stood up to leave, feeling wearier from this conversation then from the day's travel. Before he exited the room via his favored exit option - window - Tsunade spoke up again.

"Oh, and Kakashi, hurt her and that just might be the end of the Hatake line…" She wiggled her right pinky at him and smiled contentedly at his visibly paling face.

Rain started falling down several minutes ago and Kakashi was already soaked to the bone. He didn't mind the wet hair sticking to his face and the clothes getting heavier with all the water they soaked up. He was feeling it was rather appropriate to his mood, the feeling of weight that was pulling him down.

The question that was plaguing him was if he really was the right person to help Sakura as the Hokage suggested. He had to make sure that what he felt for her was real. He could not go into this halfheartedly and then leave her because his feelings were not real, that would be not be fair to either of them and even more cruel then if he were to die probably.

The other thing that troubled him is that Sakura seemed to be alright while they were away. Sure she had seen the hurt in her eyes as he asked her about the notebook, at first he thought he had imagined that, and once when she broke up with him. Otherwise she seemed to be her old self, even happy he would dare say, but the Hokage didn't have a reason to lie about Sakura's emotional state.

His emotions were all over the place for these past two weeks and he really didn't know what to do, think or feel anymore. He wanted to protect her that was for sure. The need to see her and make sure she is alright was ever-present but until now he managed to stay away from her, trying to sort through his own mess before he went to see her.

The space didn't seem to be helping him so he decided it was time to seek her out. He had to make sure that there was some hope, make sure that what he felt for her was truly genuine and not just some woken up regret from the past, a reflection of his feelings for Rin, because try as he might he had to admit that they really were similar and at the same time so different.

With mind set on the current mission he said his goodbyes to those who he left behind he stood up and walked away with a purpose, to see Sakura. In shinobi's dictionary _to see_ someone had different levels or approaches. The one he wanted to take and usually used would be called by some, good old fashioned stalking, but he liked to call it making-sure-she-was-alright-while-hiding-in-the-shadows.

For the first three weeks she tried burying herself in work as much as she could. Taking all extra shifts that were available, doing voluntarily outstanding paper work and she was even willing to clean up after procedures if it meant she didn't have to go home where she inadvertently had to face her own thoughts and emotions.

After one and a half week of extra shifts she was barely able to stand on her feet and was quickly forbidden by both Tsunade and Shizune to take any more extra shifts for the next two weeks. Instead of extra shifts she buried herself in the paper work which she managed to sort through within the next week and a half. There was no medical emergency, there was no influenza epidemic or any other sort of epidemic, and the days in the hospital were slow. Normal person would be glad that the hospital didn't have that much work but Sakura was not normal, she needed to put her mind to work and not sit idly and look out of the window of her apartment.

When Tsunade found out she was still spending such an enormous time in the hospital she forced her to take a few days off and forbade her to set foot on the Hospital grounds for the next three days and has instructed the hospital staff to report her immediately should she come as a doctor, the only exception would be if she was seriously injured and on the brink of the death- as she was more than capable to heal everything else that might be wrong with her.

During those three weeks in the hospital she managed to avoid almost everyone, including Ino that was, if the rumors could be trusted, to be seen with certain Akimichi most of the time. Ino even moved a few shifts so she could have more free time. The only exception was Naruto that dragged her to have some ramen for lunch, twice. Most of the first lunch she spent denying everything and trying to prove to Naruto that Kakashi didn't do anything bad and the second half she was trying to get Lee to leave her alone after he spotted her at the Ichiraku. She swears he has some kind of radar or tracking device built for the sole purpose of tracking her down.

He came in with that bright smile of his that could illuminate a dark cave – some of the rookie nine actually had a bet running about that – and demanded to fight for her honor with Kakashi-san and to prove his everlasting youthful love to her. As Naruto was still not convinced about Kakashi to be so innocent in all of this – and with a prospect of a good fight - he actually joined Lee and they went to find Kakashi to have some heart to heart, or fist to rasengan to sharingan in this case. Sakura just sighted dejectedly and finished her lunch and went back to the hospital and thanks to those two idiots she was on edge the whole rest of the day waiting for them to come back all beaten up.

In few days as none of them came bloodied to the hospital, Naruto came to drag her to another lunch. He was moping most of the time that he couldn't find Kakashi anywhere and that it wasn't fair, that he wanted to have a fight with him. According to Naruto, Lee was doing one of his challenges as a punishment for not finding Kakashi and restoring Sakura's honor as he had promised her. Sakura innocently suggested that Naruto could join him as a good training and he jumped at the opportunity. That earned Sakura few days of freedom from Naruto and she also unintentionally mentioned to Tsunade that Naruto is getting bored and would enjoy a nice long mission.

She liked Naruto like a brother, little obnoxious brother, that needed to be kept occupied otherwise he will drive you crazy. So being the good friend and sister she arranged some activities for him. She was just not in the mood to explain and defend her and Kakashi for the next few weeks until the knuckle headed friend would get it through that thick skull of his that nothing happened. Or maybe she was just tired of lying to him and somewhere deep down she knew that he was more observant then he let on and could see straight through her lies. Either way she hoped that the training with Lee and a nice mission would distract him enough that he will stop asking about Kakashi.

After she was forced to leave the hospital and take three days rest with a death threat from Tsunade she went to her apartment. After an hour of cleaning, every surface sparkled. She was a tidy person by nature and she didn't spend too much time in her apartment so she didn't really have that much to clean. She even went out for groceries shopping. All that took her just two hours and she found herself thinking way too much for her liking.

She looked around her apartment one more time trying to find something to do and decided to rather go the library and look up some of the plants she had scribbled about from little Midori-chan.

When she took the first step towards the library doors and ANBU appeared and denied her access.

"Sai? Really? You got to be kidding me." To her dismay Tsunade had anticipated that she would go and hide out in the library, not really getting some rest she has notified the library workers and actually assigned one ANBU to guard the entrance.

"Sorry Ugly. Hokage's orders." She had to take few calming breaths. It wouldn't do to punch Sai through the wall and possibly damage the books and scrolls.

Sakura was looking forward to those three days she was forced to take a rest to spend them in the library, cooped up with all the books she would manage to find on those plants and researching thoroughly their medicinal properties. As the option of the library was denied to her she went to training ground three where she sat down below one of the trees that was not far from the three posts and the memorial stone. She did the second best thing she could.

She took out her notebook and started going through the notes she had written down, thankful for the distraction of the next few hours she spent making plans of what to research and what combinations to try. She was quickly engrossed in the work and the possibilities and she started scribbling more notes. She didn't even notice when she drifted off to a light sleep, holding her notebook close to her chest. She was startled awake by something. She had to blink few times to realize why her vision was so blurry and her cheeks wet. She was crying in her sleep again. She furiously removed the wetness from her face with the back of her hand and pocketed her notebook. She was angry at herself that she let her guard down again and that someone could have seen her cry, could see her weakness so openly. She stalked away from there banging an innocent tree on her way out of the training grounds and unbeknownst to her she made the copy-nin hold on to the branch for his dear life as the tree shook violently after her punch.

The second day of her forced holiday she decided to spend training as that was always a good way to take her mind of the things she didn't want to think about and as soon as she woke up she put on her old black shorts and parted light pink skirt and a red tank top. She took her prepared bento box and something to drink and she strapped on the rest of her gear and ran to the 45th training ground that was secluded enough from the rest of the village and other training grounds that she will not disturb anyone by destroying her surroundings as much as she wanted to.

She had to bribe Izumo to let her book the training ground for today under a different name. Part of the bribe had to also be that she will make Yamato take care of the repairs of the woods as he knew she would obliterate most of the landscape. She would of course repair most of the ground thanks to her affinity to earth style jutsus, but Yamato was the only one who can repair the trees to their former glory so she spent most of yesterday persuading both men to do what she wanted. She had to promise both Yamato and Izumo to set them up with the new nurse Akime. _Well, let the best man win_ she thought as she promised both a blind date with her.

All that had to be done in secret because taking a break from the hospital meant she was supposed to take it easy and not rent a training ground for the whole day so she could use up most of her chakra and stamina for destroying most of the huge ground near The Forest of Death. If Tsunade was to find out she would really get an ass kicking from her. That was the reason for her _other _bribe. She discreetly sneaked into the Hokage office and hid a rather large sake bottle in one of Tsunade's usual hiding spots, making sure she would find it in the morning, leaving the small hidden compartment slightly ajar.

After a quick stretch she went through some easier exercises to make sure she wasn't out of practice and through some kunai's around making a smiley face on a rather distant tree. For the next hour she practiced her taijutsu and in the next hour she practiced some of her new ninjutsu she wanted to master for a while but didn't have time to try them out. After a quick break and lunch she proceeded with what she was itching to do from the start. Destroy as much as possible and make herself very tired in the process. She of course made sure she would have enough chakra left to clean up most of the destroyed land.

With a tired smile she looked at her handiwork as the training ground was mostly back to its original state minus the trees. Yamato promised to come at around sundown to make the repairs so she packed her things, counted her kunai and left to take one hot long shower and sleep like a dead person for the rest of the day and night.

On the third day she woke up in a good mood, at least until she remembered that she had nothing to do today. Absolutely nothing that would make her and her mind occupied enough so she wouldn't have to think about anything. She decided to turn on the television hoping it would distract her, but everything seemed to remind her of Kakashi or the mission they were on. She even tried reading few books that Ino lent her some time ago but they were all about romance and love and once again her mind went back to the copy-nin. She spent most of the day coming up with different distractions but none of them seemed to work

She let out a frustrated growl as she gave up on reading and decided to go where she didn't want to. Into her own mind and emotions. She had to face her own emotions and that was one thing she tried to avoid as much as possible since Daichi died.

Though if she was really going to do this she would need at least some alcohol to take the edge off. She took out an older bottle of red wine she had stored in her cabinet and poured herself a glass. She let her mind sort out through the memories of the past month and to the emotions associated with them.

After analyzing most of the memories she had to admit to herself that while she was with Kakashi she had acted rather differently. She was almost her old self and she didn't have to try so hard to smile and pretend she was happy. If she wasn't so deep in denial she might even admit that she was happy with him. He took her mind of everything else and all that was there was him.

She didn't like where her mind was going and even less liked the feeling of hurt in her body when she thought of not seeing him. She had managed to avoid him for the time being but she dreaded the day she would see him. She wasn't sure how she will react or what he will do. She started unconsciously playing with her three braids.

When back at the ryokan he said those words she felt warmth spread through her body almost reaching her heart that was still in pieces since Daichi died. That is when she remembered what she had promised herself. She knew her heart wouldn't survive another break; she wouldn't survive another man leaving her alone in this world. That hole Daichi left in her heart when he died seemed to be even more painful now that Kakashi almost reached it.

She was sitting on the carpet with her back pressed to her couch and with her hand holding the wine glass propped up on her knee. She drank most of the bottle by now and she didn't feel any better. She knew she couldn't drink more as she needed to go to work tomorrow. She knew that feeling that was welling up in her right now, making it hard for her to swallow, so she let herself go. Just this once, she silently promised herself, just tonight and tomorrow she would pick herself up and go to the hospital and forget once more and live her life these past two years until that dammed festival and trip to the ryokan.

She silently cried as she drank the rest of the wine and fell asleep on the couch, cursing Hatake for making her this emotional when she was after two years so good with keeping them in check.

As she fell asleep a shadow moved behind the window to come closer and inside her living room through the half opened window. He took the blanket from the chair and covered her sleeping form. He brushed a strand of pink hair from her face, letting his fingers linger on her slightly blushing cheek. He pulled them quickly away when she stirred and said a name from her sleep.

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Just 2-3 chapters and we are finished with this story :( will miss it!

Anyway, thank you all for the reviews and faves and alerts! They always manage to encourage me and make my day much better :)


	32. Chapter 32

Hi Everyone. New chapter! Hope to finish the story by the end of the month, there are still more chapters left :)

Enjoy!

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A soft knock could be heard inside the examination room.

A brown haired nurse popped her head inside. "I'm so sorry Sakura-san, there is one more waiting for the check-up. Could I send him your way? Kisume-san already left." The brown haired nurse asked with an apologetic tone apologizing for a fellow medic. Sakura was pulling another double shift and the second one already ended four hours ago.

Sakura looked up from the chart she was holding and quickly scribbled her signature and handed it to the nurse, taking the new chart from her hands as a conformation.

"Send him in."

Sakura quickly skimmed through the chart. She lost count about three days ago as to how many shinobi passed through her examination room this past week. It was the annual mandatory check-up. It was time consuming and hectic throughout the two weeks this medical marathon lasted. She didn't even look at the names anymore. She just skimmed through the charts, noting the most important medical information and went through the same actions with each of them.

"Take your shirt off and sit on the table please." Sakura didn't even take her eyes off the chart as she motioned with her hand for the patient to take a seat on the examination table. As she skimmed through the information on the chart she frowned realizing some of the facts were too familiar. She managed to hold her frown and not show too much of a surprise on her face as she read the name on the chart.

She turned around to walk to the table, her white lab coat swirling around her legs, and paused for just a split second before continuing with her stride to the examination table. Kakashi Hatake was in the hospital. Kakashi Hatake was sitting on the examination table in his dark pants and nothing else. The man who avoided doctors and anything hospital related was waiting for his annual check-up on the examining table on the day he was actually scheduled. The man that had to be dragged here by force or better yet unconscious was sitting here as if the hell didn't just freeze over. Hatake Kakashi was sitting on the table maskless.

It took him quite some time of self deception and self persuasion and a lot of mental preparation to actually walk willingly to the hospital for his annual check-up, and on the day he was supposed to show up. He of course didn't come on time or to the doctor he was supposed to go, but he was here in the hospital. He was watching Sakura intently from the second he entered the examination room, noting that she didn't really acknowledge his presence. He knew the face she had on, it was her medic face, her professional medical face that was straight to the point, professional and serious, leaving the reassuring smiles for after the examination was finished.

He noticed as she quickly skimmed his chart that recognition flashed through her eyes and she quickly went back to the start of the chart to look up his name instead of turning around to look at him.

The copy-nin also noted the millisecond of surprise on her face when she turned around to finally look at him and saw him without his mask. He hoped there would be more emotion in her face, hoping to see more of her, but her professional mask slipped back in its place as soon as she took another step closer to him.

"Lie down please." She motioned for him to lie down on the examination table so she could start with the exam. She wanted to ask him what he was doing here, but didn't want to hear the answer so she continued to be silent and let her medic self take over, almost automatically doing what was needed without much needed thought. She pushed in her chakra, checking first the skin, then the organs, then the blood stream and lastly the chakra paths.

She was desperately trying to keep her emotions in check that she though she managed to bring under control after her short breakdown four weeks ago. At least she thought she had but seeing him shown her how wrong she was. The two months she managed to avoid him didn't help her at all with forgetting the time they spent together. Or the emotions connected to that time. It was just one week. Just one week that made her life a mess that she was so good at keeping in check for the last two years. She was not used to her emotions to be so close to the surface anymore.

His heart sunk just a little when her chakra entered his body and no sign of the tinkling sensation could be felt. There were no giggles he had to hide that were trying to get to the surface. He kept watching her but she seemed too preoccupied to even notice that. He could see she was working on autopilot while her mind was miles away. Especially when she seemed to be finished, as her chakra already left his body and she was still not moving, just absentmindedly staring at her hands. They stayed like that for several minutes, he watching her and her not moving and being completely engrossed in her own world.

"Ehm.." Kakashi cleared his throat trying to catch her attention and to actually speak to her. She almost jumped at the sound but quickly regained her composure and slipped back into her medic mode.

"You can sit up and put your shirt back on." Taking his chart she started to scribble down her findings and waiting for him to put his clothes back on. When he was finished, leaving his mask and forehead protector off of his face to her utter confusion, she directed his attention to an eye chart that was on the far side of the room.

"Sit on the edge with your feet down and put a hand over your left eye. Read the fifth row please."

He was getting a bit impatient as he wanted to talk to her and have this yearly annoying check behind him. He read the seventh row instead, skipping the fifth and sixth as he was usually asked to read all of them anyway.

Sakura seemed she wanted to say something to him but just sighted with resignation as the argument wouldn't lead anywhere anyway. She just made a note in his chart and asked him to switch the eyes. This time he read the smallest print available on the chart.

"Do you have any subjective medical troubles or issues you would like to address?" She asked him knowing full well the he wasn't going to admit to anything even if he had had a spleen removed five minutes ago.

Sakura scribbled some more notes into his chart and actually forced herself to smile at him, crinkling her eyes in a fake happiness.

"Once again you passed. If you don't have any more medical questions you can leave." She turned her back to him going to her desk and putting his chart on the table on top of the remaining charts that are ready to be filled away. She heard him move but the sound of closing doors didn't come. Sakura turned around to see Kakashi leaning on the doors looking at her thoughtfully with his forehead protector in place, shielding his sharingan eye but still without his mask.

She stayed quiet as she didn't want to talk to him, hoping that her silence and the frown on her face will discourage him enough to leave.

"I want to talk about us, Sakura." Kakashi had to start somewhere this conversation and talking about weather just wasn't his style in these kinds of situations.

"There is nothing to talk about." She tried to make her voice flat and unemotional, hoping he didn't notice her slight tremble.

He took few steps closer and she mirrored him by taking a step back. Unfortunately the desk was right behind her restricting her movement.

"Okay, then I will talk and you listen." She opened her mouth and wanted to cut him off but he didn't give her a chance and started talking. It was now or never.

"I know about Daichi, about your father and the illness that took both of them from you." Those few words effectively silenced her and she leaned back at the table with a look of hurt and confusion in her eyes before she hung her head so her hair would cover her face and so he wouldn't see the emotions that were showing on her face. She wrapped her hands around her in a protective gesture. _How does he know about Daichi? No one knew about him. I didn't even tell Ino._

Kakashi had to take a deep breath and fight the urge to pull his mask up. His hand already reached up and he was uneasily pulling at the material pooled at his neck. This wasn't easy for him. He wasn't used to opening to someone like this but he knew that if he wanted to get through to her he will need to give her a little of himself. Just as Rin did for him.

"I understand that it's hard to lose the precious people in your life. I understand that it hurts. That you want to bury your heart so deep that no one will ever find it. But let me tell you one thing that I have been told. Making them disappear instead of cherishing both the good and bad is the worst kind of cowardice."

He took few more steps and was standing right in front of her, his heat radiating into her skin.

"The greatest regret of my life is not telling the ones that mattered to me that I loved them. I swore to myself that I will not repeat that mistake ever again."

Kakashi paused and closed his eyes. Steeling himself for what he needed to say, for his and hopefully for her sake. He would set himself free, he will honor Rin's memory and her gift and be true to his promise.

"Sakura, I love you." Sakura was still silent and unresponsive. The only indication that she was listening was the tightening of her grip on her arms.

"I do not expect you to return those feelings. I want you to be happy so let me help you. Let me help you see that if you let your feelings touch your heart you will be alright. Everything will be alright."

He knew she will need some time to think. She needed to sort her emotions. He knew that if his words meant anything to her that she will need to be by herself. When Rin did this _intervention_ for him, he cried like a little baby for two hours straight. Not that he would ever admit that to anyone.

He felt emotionally drained. The last time that he felt like this was at Rin's funeral. When he stayed at her grave site and talked to her until his voice was raspy and all he could do was whisper. Telling her everything, all and more. They had to drag him away from there after three days.

Sakura still didn't move or say anything. Kakashi took the last step towards her, closing the distance and placed a sweet kiss on the top of her head and whispered. "I promise."

He turned around and left the room closing the doors behind him quietly not seeing the little drop of moisture falling from her eyes.

He couldn't go home after his _talk_ with Sakura. He just didn't feel like being alone at the moment and as it was already late afternoon he headed to the bar where most of his jounin friends could be found on Friday night. He didn't really want to talk to anybody; he just wanted the company of a familiar person. Luckily he found Genma in the bar with one of his chatty moods. That meant he just needed someone beside him that would occasionally nod and he would continue with his monologue. They were later joined by Izumo and Kotetsu who took the duty of nodding to Genma's monologue from Kakashi so he could quietly sit in the corner and sip from his sake.

It was already two in the morning when he got out of the bar, ready to go pass out in his bed. He wasn't drunk, he did drink two small bottles of sake but the alcohol just didn't seem to work tonight. When he entered his home he noticed something wasn't right. A light was coming from his kitchen and he could feel a familiar chakra. He took a deep breath and removed his sandals and jounin vest and set out for his kitchen.

Sakura was in his kitchen standing very much like he left her in the examination room, leaning on the kitchen counter with her head hung low. The only difference was the glass of water she was holding in her hand.

"Sakura?" He wasn't sure if he wanted to go closer before he knew her intentions; she could very well be here to punch the living daylights out of him. It was a good choice as the glass shattered next to his head on the wall behind him in a matter of seconds. He didn't even have time to react as the glass swished by him.

"Sakura?" He tried again to make her calm down and reconsider his upcoming beating. He took a step closer to the door out of the kitchen, making sure the exit wouldn't be blocked should he need to leave the room hastily.

She turned around and took another glass out of the cabinet and through it at him, missing his head by few millimeters. This time it was accompanied by a scream of "Make it stop!"

She finally showed her face, her eyes were red and puffy and her cheeks red and wet from her tears. She was a teary mess.

She took another glass from the cabinet and was ready to throw. "Make it stop!" She sniffled as another emotional wave hit her.

She was having a rather big emotional breakdown since he left her in the examination room. That single tear was accompanied by many more and she wasn't able to stop them. She tried really hard to stop them but it didn't help. She ran home really fast and closed the door behind her and let the tears flow endlessly. She went to the shower and cried until the water ran cold and she still couldn't stop as more and more tears gathered in her eyes and kept persistently falling down her face.

Sakura through few more glasses at him and as there were none left she moved to mugs.

"It's alright to cry Sakura." He tried to calm her down somehow but it was hard whilst dodging flying dishes.

"It's not alright if it doesn't stop!" and she flung another mug at him.

"Stop dodging!" She was crying and angry at him at the same time and she was annoyed he was dodging the flying objects. The sound it made, breaking on the wall, was making her feel a little bit better but she couldn't aim properly when she was in this state, her vision all blurry from the tears. She wanted to make him cry like he did to her. She wanted him feel like she did. Maybe then she will be able to get a grip and stop these annoying tears. She felt weak once again, being the crybaby that she used to be. She hated it and she hated him for doing this to her.

She chucked another mug at him and this time it actually connected with his head. She saw as a small trickle of blood started flowing from his brow. She momentarily stopped crying, being too stupefied by the scene.

"Why didn't you dodge?" She screamed at him hysterically. Seeing him wounded by her thrown projectile didn't make her feel better, it actually made it worse as new tears started to fall down her face and she couldn't even put words to a comprehensive sentences anymore.

"Make up your mind woman." Kakashi grumbled as he seized the moment she wasn't throwing anything and came closer to her taking her into an embrace. Holding her and letting his body heat sink into her body.

"Stop it!" She tried to fight him, push him away until she stopped fighting him and let herself cry even more, clenching her fists into his dark shirt. Kakashi kept stroking her hair and back, letting her know that he is there for her. He knew she will feel better once all the kept emotions are out of her system. The tears were cleansing.

After what felt like hours she finally calmed down. She didn't stop crying but she stopped being hysterical and Kakashi deemed it safe enough to breach the silence.

"I would make you a tea but it seems I ran out of cups."

That earned him a snort and a slap on the chest from the pinkette that was still hiding her face in his shirt that was now thoroughly soaked with tears and snot. She moved her head away from him to see the disaster of a shirt he had on and started to cry again.

"I even destroyed your shiiiiiirt." Sakura wailed not being able to contain her wild emotions.

"Don't be silly. Give me a second to change and you can start with a new one." He smiled and showed her his trademark eye crease.

"That's not funnyyyyyyyy." Sakura wailed but let go off his shirt so he could go and get changed.

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More will be revealed in the next chapter. Sorry I had to split it somewhere, otherwise it would be way too long :) don't forget to let me know what you think.


	33. Chapter 33

The quarter-end-hell has passed once again! Sorry for the delay in writing/posting but during Qend my work takes over my life :( Anyways it's behind me and I finally got the chance to finish this chapter.

So enjoy!

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A few minutes later he came back with a new shirt and a plaster on his brow and found her sitting on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her still slightly shaking body. He managed to find an old glass he had on his bed table and brought some water to Sakura. She silently accepted and downed the liquid in one gulp.

He sat down next to her on the couch and motioned for her to come closer. He left one of his feet on the ground and the other on the couch so she could snuggle in between. She pushed her back into his chest and let more tears fall down her face when he wrapped his arms around her torso.

They sat like that in silence, broken by a sniffle here and a sob there. His heat was calming but she still wasn't able to stop the waterworks. Those months, weeks, years she spent hiding her feelings deep down, trying to bury them from her heart were all coming back to the surface and were digging at her heart. It was like with a plaster, you knew it will hurt when you pull it off but the pain will go away in a second, it didn't matter if you pulled it quickly or slowly, you needed to get it off and the pain was just part of it.

This is how she felt, a giant plaster being torn from her heart, she knew it will get better, but right now all she could do was cry and let the hurt come out and wait for it to go away. She felt the need to tell him what she was hiding these past two years. He knew about Daichi, but she doubted he knew the whole truth. She tried to recall the times she talked to him, his smile, and his eyes when he looked at her, his soothing voice.

"I can't remember his face properly." She said in a broken whisper, hiding her face in her hands as she started to shake more from crying. Kakashi silently waited, patiently for her to continue if she wished to. She felt the feeling of guilt inside her, how could she forget him in such a short while? Were her feelings for him so weak that her memories of him were fading so fast?

"I can't remember how he smiled. And he smiled all the time. Whatever bad news I had for him, he would always smile and try to make me feel better. _I_ was his doctor and he was trying to make _me_ feel better." She shook her head in disbelief as she always did when Daichi was trying to make her feel better about his situation, about his prognosis.

"When I found the connection between the illness and the chakra flow, it was the happiest day in my life and he was the first person I told. He gave me a gift that he was saving for my birthday, but said that as this breakthrough needed a celebration he wanted to give it to me now." Sakura fumbled a bit and took out the notebook she had been carrying about with her wherever she went.

"Obviously it's mostly just the cover that remained. I filled it with notes within few months. I didn't have the heart to stack it somewhere in my desk or put it on a shelf, so I had it re-filled with new pages every time I ran out of space." She moved her hands over the cover, almost lovingly touching the leather material of the small notebook.

"My theory about his illness was the first thing I have written down in it. The second thing was written by him." Sakura opened the notebook, skipping first page and showed him the second one, unable to get the words out.

The writing was different then the neat characters of Sakura's handwriting. It had a splotch mark in the middle, probably from an old, dried up tear and it was dirty in some places, a proof that it has been touched many times. There in clear writing, stood something that Kakashi didn't expect.

_Will you be my heart doctor for life? Will you marry me, Sakura Haruno?_

And once again in Sakura's neat hand writing was a YES that took the rest of the page.

Kakashi was for once truly speechless. He kept staring at the few words in an old notebook. His heart clenched terribly at the horrible truth of her past. Before he managed to say or do something, Sakura continued with her story.

"He asked me… and I said yes." This time she actually smiled through her tears, remembering the happiness she felt at that moment. "If my theory was correct, he could be completely healed. There was finally hope for him and I wanted to be with him so badly." She slightly hesitated before continuing with her story, trying to futilely to wipe the tears that kept running down her face. "That night was the first and the last time we made love." Her voice broke and she continued only in whisper. "I forgot the notebook in the lab and wanted to put just few notes down. I was away for just 10 minutes… he died… those 10 minutes it took me to get the notebook and get back to him… he was gone…"

Kakashi held her even tighter and buried his face in her hair, as if someone would come and pull her away from him. He knew how bad it was when you didn't even have a chance to say goodbye. That feeling of despair and unfinished sentences lingering at the tip of your tongue, those words and thoughts you wanted to share with the person that is no longer there to hear them.

"I'm so sorry." Kakashi whispered barely hearable into her hair.

He stayed there holding her in his embrace until she fell asleep, exhausted from the crying. He gently picked her up and took her to his bed. It was already morning when she fell asleep. He tried to join her in the slumber, to get some new energy for the next day and to let his mind rest and sort all the information and emotions, but his mind would not stop working. After an hour of tossing and turning, very quietly so he wouldn't wake Sakura up, he sighed in defeat and got up to run some necessary errands of the day before she woke up.

Emptiness was the dominant feeling once Sakura woke up from her dreamless sleep. It wasn't a bad feeling but it wasn't a good one either. She just felt lighter after the crying of previous night. She kept her eyes closed, the pain of her headache piercing through her skull when she moved. She wasn't sure she wanted to get up just yet and face the day. She opened her eyes and just kept watching the rays of sun moving about the room. Unsure of how long she stayed like that, curled up with Kakashi's pillow held tight against her chest. Somehow his scent lingering all around her was soothing her aching heart. She cringed at the thought of going to work tomorrow, she wasn't sure she was able to face a day full of people that expected her to smile and be nice and polite while she treated them. She pushed the thought into the back of her mind to deal with it when the time comes, for now she just wanted to stay like this, unmoving, unfeeling. She was almost afraid to move, that the movement will force the feelings to come back, as if those two were connected.

As she watch the fine specs of dust moving about the room illuminated by the rays of sunlight coming through the window she noticed a glass of water on the nightstand. The pure liquid made her notice just how thirsty she was so she grabbed for it and drunk the water, sweat and silky in her dried out mouth. She extended her hand to put the probably last surviving glass in Kakashi's house back on the nightstand and let it go a second too early and watched as it hovered in the air, almost suspended in the moment, before falling down to the floor where it shattered into several pieces.

Kakashi was almost finished with cleaning up the mess she left behind in his kitchen when he heard a noise from his bedroom. Curious if she was already up and what the noise was caused by he walked into the bedroom to find Sakura on her knees near the bed with her back turned to him.

"Sakura? Are you alright?" Kakashi asked stepping closer to her to find out what she was doing.

"I'm soooorryyy." She sniffled, not able to contain her emotions. The tears kept falling down her face as she tried to pick up the pieces of the broken glass from the floor. "I broke your last glaaaaaaaaass." The feeling of emptiness instantly gone as the glass hit the floor she felt as if the empty space near her heart was attacked by all emotions at once and she wasn't able to decipher or control any of them.

"It's alright, it's just a glass."

"I knoooooow."

"Then why are you crying?"

"I don't knooooow.

Kakashi was at a loss here. In his case the two hour cry was all that it took him to get himself back on track. He certainly didn't expect that Sakura will continue with her crying after the evening, but he should have known it would take her longer to get herself back together. She used to be the emotional one so he should have considered it. Now that he made her face the truth of her heart he needed to be there for her no matter what. So he gently pulled her into his embrace and waited for her to calm down while stroking her hair and back.

When she started to calm down again she pushed away from him and looked at him.

"I…" she obviously wanted to say something else but her eyes fell down on his shirt, "ruined another of your shirts."

"Don't worry. I have plenty of them, just use as many you need." He gave her his famous eye crease trying to make her feel a bit better and she actually snorted a little in amusement though some tears still ran down her face.

Sakura used the back of her hands to get her face dry. "Would you mind if I stay here today? I don't think I want to be alone now." She asked carefully knowing she will be imposing on him once again.

"Was counting on it. I bought some food so if you are up to it…" he left the sentence unfinished and motioned with his hand to the door.

Sakura nodded her head with a happy-sad smile on her face. "Would you mind if I use your shower first?"

"You know where it is. Fresh towels are below the sink."

"Thank you Kakashi."

He knew what she meant and he smiled at her patting her head like he used to when she was just a gennin.

When she got out of the shower she found clean clothes on the bed. Old sweatpants that was too big for her and his old shirt. She actually smiled as she pulled them on and could smell his scent on them. The shower helped her to calm down and sort out her feelings a little.

The kitchen smelled marvelously and her stomach grumbled in protest as her last meal was almost 24 hours ago. She sat at the small kitchen table and looked at Kakashi moving about the kitchen. When it was ready he served the dish on the table and sat down opposite of her. He hesitated for a moment but in the end pulled down his mask and with a silent "itadakimasu" started to eat. Sakura was surprised that Kakashi was actually a pretty good cook as she tasted the food.

They ate in comfortable silence and Sakura offered to wash the dished in return for him cooking the meal. When she was finished it was already getting dark outside and as she entered his living room she found him sitting comfortably on his couch with Icha Icha Paradise in his hand. She took one of his couch pillows and she lied down on his lap with the pillow under her head. He didn't protest and just lay his free hand on her arm and continued reading his book.

The time passed by and Sakura must have fallen asleep because she was now lying once again in Kakashi's bed with him next to her, lightly snoring the night away. She moved her back closer to him, seeking his comforting heat and her movement caused him to stir. He buried his face into her hair as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her even closer to him.

When morning came around Kakashi was surprised to find an empty bed and his clothes neatly folded at the foot of the bed. Feeling bit disappointed he rolled on his other side and willed himself back to sleep as it was way too early for him to be up before he would go around his not too busy day.

He didn't see her for few days so he was rather surprised when she came at midnight through his bedroom window and stole one of his shirts before going to his bathroom to emerge clean and ready for bed. There was no talking, no explaining, he simply lifted his covers as she came to his bed and curled her back against him.

This was now their new routine. She would come to his home, sometimes in the middle of the night, sometimes soon enough to have dinner with him and sit on the couch with him while he read his trusty Icha Icha while she brought some medical text from the hospital and at night they would sleep together cuddled together in his bed. She didn't move in with him but she kept brining her stuff over and leaving it there. Toothbrush, shampoo a textbook here a medical book there a change of clothes that she kept in his dresser.

She was like a stray cat, coming to stay the night and leave in the morning whenever she felt like it. They would eat, talk about their days and finally sleep all the while enjoying each other's company. He would find her in his bed even when he came back from a mission, tangled in his bed sheets and snuggling to his pillow that he had to pry out of her embrace so he also could get some sleep. When he was away, he was looking forward to coming home, to Sakura.

There was nothing sexual about their relationship, Kakashi would lie if he said he didn't want it to be but he knew that it was Sakura who had to make the move, if she ever did decide to move that way. He understood that what they had before was for her without commitment, that it was just physical relationship she was seeking at that time.

Now, all she wanted and needed was to feel safe, to have a friend in him. He was content with their relationship as it was, if one could call it a relationship. He was just happy that she was putting the pieces of her broken heart back together and smiled genuinely more often. Now, after just few months, when she smiled it would reach her eyes. She was starting to be happy, really happy again and he would not ruin it by pushing her into something more than she wanted. She knew how he felt, and that did not change, so he kept his hope close to his heart and would spend the night watching her sometimes as she slept and wishing she would come to love him.

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I'm sorry to say that the next chapter will be the last! There may be a shorter epilogue (will see how the last chapter turns out).

Thank you everyone who reviewed and faved and alerted this story and me! It's always nice to know that you are enjoying this little hobby of mine :)

P.S.: sorry for making Sakura so "tearful" but to be honest, she needed it :)


	34. Chapter 34

This is officially the LAST chapter! although there will be a short epilogue right after this chapter. Don't know if to cry or be happy :) I can't believe it has been 2 years since I started with this story and that it's actually at the end.

Anyways, THANK YOU for reading this story to the end, thank you for ALL the reviews and followings!

Enjoy!

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Sakura's change of residence was an unspoken secret around Konoha that spread after few months of them _not_-living together. It was mostly the ANBU and hospital staff that knew, because in case of emergency they needed to be able to find her. In many cases it could be a life and death situation and she could not afford to be hidden when they needed to find her.

Therefore Sakura was not surprised to be woken up in the middle of the night by a late night nurse banging on Kakashi's door. He was due to come back any day from a mission so at first she thought it might be him, but as her sleepy mind cleared she came to the conclusion that he would not be knocking on his own door and would let himself in without the loud banging at this ungodly hour.

She sat up in the bed still hugging the big pillow and tried to separate dream from reality as she wasn't sure what the noise was that woke her up. When the banging repeated she became more alert and as her mind cleared she knew there were only two cases someone would be banging on the doors at this time of the night and in both cases she would have to get dressed. She quickly pulled on her clothes and went for the door prepared to head on a mission or to go to the hospital.

When she opened the doors, the young nurse Akime, currently in a relationship with Yamato, thanks to Sakura keeping her promise of setting them up, was slightly out of breath from running all the way from the hospital to Kakashi's place.

"Sakura-san! I'm sorry to wake you up so late but Shizune-san sent me to come and get you. Two ANBU teams just came back and several people are in critical condition. Hatake-san is-"Akime called to the retreating back of the pink haired medic without getting a response. "Sakura-san?"

Before Akime could finish the sentence Sakura was already running for the hospital, even before she said Kakashi's name. If Shizune called her to the hospital it must have been serious. The run to the hospital without the aid of chakra, she had to preserve as much as possible as she didn't know how much she would need for the procedures, took her just under five minutes. The longest five minutes of her life as her imagination ran wild with the images of possible casualties and gruesomeness of what she was about to find. The white shock of hair stained with blood, the lifeless eyes. She tried to wish them away and make the anxiety she felt go away and let her professional medic side take over, but it was too hard when she thought that one of those in critical condition waiting for her to save their lives could be Kakashi.

By the time she reached the hospital her stomach was tied in knots and her heart thumped hard in her ears. She rushed through the lobby to the operating rooms and took a deep steadying breath before she looked through the window on the doors. She couldn't see the patient properly as medics and nurses were obscuring her vision. All she could see was white hair poking from the end of the table and a pale hand that had fallen down from the table, where blood was pooling below it on the floor as droplets of blood were trickling down the arm. Sakura was frozen on the spot, not able to move forward or backwards. She could only stare and gape at the scene before her. She was brought back to the present when someone called her name.

Sakura looked to her left and saw Kakashi standing few meters from her with a questioning look. She looked back to the operating room and noticed that the white streak of hair she saw was actually pale yellow and the hand had no gloves and had a tattoo on the wrist that Kakashi didn't have. It was just her mind playing cruel tricks on her nevertheless she was sick to her stomach and she was not able to steady her wildly beating heart.

Kakashi was sitting just few meters from the operating room waiting for Sakura and Tsunade when he saw his sporadic roommate barge in. She stopped and kept looking into the operating room. He called her name but she didn't respond so he stood up and called her name once more.

When she turned around she was pale and her eyes wide as if she saw a ghost.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi asked with concern in his voice seeing her so shaken and pale. She took few steps closer to him, her hands coming up as if to embrace him, but she stopped just few feet away from him and looked over his shoulder.

"Sakura, good that you are here." Tsunade's voice came from behind him.

Sakura looked him in the eye again as if she wanted to say something but instead she diverted her gaze to Tsunade. "What's the situation?"

"I told Akime to brief you. Never mind. Kakashi's team came over another squad that was badly injured by an unknown party. They brought them back and are going back to pursue them but the enemy seems to be using some sort of unknown poison. Shizune used some of the antidote you were working on and it seems to counteract it. She said you have another stash hidden somewhere. Go get it so Kakashi's team can take it with them so they don't end up like these guys."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Sakura nodded and went to get the antidote. "Hurry back to take over from me, there is still one more in critical condition and I need to get to an emergency meeting. This attack has been too close to Konoha to be taken lightly. "

"Of course shishou." Sakura nodded once more and with one last lingering look at Kakashi she resumed her sprint for the antidote.

By the time Kakashi got back to Konoha another three days have passed. He was tired, but the mission was successful. His ninken have kept the pursuit of the enemy ninja while he and his team took care of the wounded and once they got back on their track it was a quick take down. They even managed to take two prisoners that were currently in the capable hands of Ibiki and his interrogation unit.

He was dead tired on his feet but somehow he managed to drag himself to Tsunade to give her the good news of a successful mission and was now on the way back to his home. When he got there he found it quiet and empty. Somehow he managed to take off his boots and weapons pouch before collapsing in his bed. His last thought before he fell to sleep was that he wanted to see Sakura waiting in his bed as she usually did.

When Kakashi woke up from his dreamless slumber her noticed the absence of Sakura once again. He felt it was strange that she still hasn't shown but thought that she might have popped by while he was sleeping. He was dead tired and was sure that not even another invasion of Konoha would have woken him up in that state.

He dragged his still tired and aching body to the shower, to relieve some of the tension from the overworked muscles. Once finished he found some food to eat and went back to bed. He had few days off to rest and write a detailed report that should be on Tsunade's table tomorrow, so his plan was to sleep, eat and sleep some more.

After three days and quite a few of Tsunade's messengers banging on his door he got around to writing the report and walk in no haste to the Hokage tower to drop it off. In all those days he was back Sakura didn't stop by. He was starting to think she was avoiding him but it might be that she was just busy with work or on a mission. That was the real reason why he wrote the report so early, so he could have a good excuse to go to the Hokage tower and casually ask about Sakura's whereabouts.

He was in no mood to be thrown through doors or walls so he made sure he arrived at the tower precisely at the time Hokage had her weekly meeting with the elders. No Tsunade, meant no injuries to his person. He handed his report to Shizune who scowled at him darkly and informed him that this report was due several days ago. Well a lecture on punctuality from Shizune was better then the effort he would have to make to not flinch from Hokage's punch. He learned from experience that it's worse to dodge; it just makes her angrier and more determined to punch you into a bloody pulp.

Twenty minutes later he was casually hiding on a tree branch where he had a nice view of Sakura's office. As he learned from Shizune, after she stopped scolding him, Sakura was just busy as usual in the hospital. He wanted to make sure she was alright so he made himself comfortable and took out his favorite book out of the pocket. Unfortunately he wasn't able to enjoy it too much as his eyes kept looking into the window every few seconds to check if a pink haired kunoichi entered the room.

He gave up after fifteen minutes and even very briefly considered faking an injury so he could seek her out. Instead he scolded himself for acting like an idiot and took out the book once more and made himself read.

It took another hour before he saw Sakura enter her office with several books and patient folders balanced haphazardly in her hands. She sat them down on her desk and immediately started to list through them. Kakashi felt warmth spread through his body just by looking at her, seeing her that she is alright and just busy working made him realize that he was feeling restless and anxious when he didn't see her these last few days since he returned.

He got too used to being around her these last few months and now he missed her presence, her warm body sleeping next to him, the reading of books in silence, even her horrible cooking when he didn't have time to stop her. Now that he had seen her, his mind and heart calmed down and he went about his business knowing or rather hoping she will show up in his house within few days.

When few weeks passed and Sakura was still absent from his life he started to worry and what if's started to plague his mind. He swore to himself that he will not push her to anything she didn't want, that he will give her space if she needed it, that we will be happy if she is happy, but he didn't realize just how much he would miss her if she stopped being part of his life. He thought that he deserved at least an explanation of why she didn't come back, but he would wait for her to take the first step.

He kept _accidentally_ walking by the hospital so he could at least get a glimpse of her; he would search the crowd for pink hair and would turn at every female laughter that sounded a little similar to hers. He kept telling himself that he wasn't stalking her but with every passing day it was harder to pretend he was not.

It was almost two months since he last spoke to her, if the time they saw each other in the hospital could be described as talking. He knew that that was the turning point, he wasn't sure what happened or why was she keeping her distance, but he was a patient man and he was almost sure that an explanation would come at some point.

It was almost two weeks after he made himself stop stalking her, when he entered his home and realized that he wasn't alone. It took him a second to steady his heart and prepare for a goodbye that this most probably was. He was happy that he had a chance to fall in love twice in his life and he would not regret the time he spent with Sakura, short as it was. Before he went further he took off his boots and unzipped his vest and put in on a hanger near the doors together with his unstrapped weapons pouch from his leg.

She was waiting for him in the living room, with few boxes of take-away food that they both liked on the table and a book in her hand. He wasn't sure how to react to this, it looked just like the times they spent together, as if nothing happened or changed over the last two months and a small flicker of hope curled around his heart.

She kept her eyes glued to the book, not acknowledging his presence so he walked to the couch and sat down next to her, far enough so they were not touching but close enough to feel her warmth. He didn't want to be the first one to break the silence, so he sat there, looking at the table and waited for her to say or do something, anything, even thought this silence was pure torture for him.

"I…" Sakura started with a weak voice and stopped. She took another breath and wanted to continue but the words just didn't form. She wasn't sure herself what she wanted to say. The distance she made between them didn't help at all. She kept going back to her lunch with Naruto from few days ago in her mind and that is where she was able to find her words.

"I saw Naruto few days ago," she started again and this time the words came out more easily, "he dragged me to Ichiraku's as usual. He asked me if he should kick your old ass for making me sad again." She snorted in a dry laugh at the memory. "He said that I looked finally happy when I was with you and that was the only reason why he didn't track you down and beat your sorry old ass for touching me, in his words."

"He knew that I was here the whole time and he didn't say a word. I think he is finally growing up." Sakura smiled sweetly at the memory of her friend's whiskered face. She finally set the book on the table and turned to look at Kakashi for the first time since he sat down on the couch. Her heart painfully constricted, it was almost as bad as when she wasn't with him. She heard and read in books that love was painful but she always thought the pain comes after death or break-up, not when the lovers were together.

This is when she needs to make up her mind and heart. This is when she needs to be straight with him as it wasn't fair to him.

"I'm sorry Kakashi."

"I'm not." This is when Kakashi finally spoke. Her heart made flips at the sound of his voice that she missed the last two months.

"I made a mess of things. I though being away from you would help." Sakura stayed silent, again trying to find the right words, any words.

"What happened in the hospital Sakura?" Kakashi wanted to know, needed to know, why.

This surprised her and she looked at his covered face trying to gauge his feelings, his sole uncovered eye had dark circles under it as if he wasn't sleeping well. Apart from that she wasn't able to read anything from his mostly covered face. She was used to seeing him without the mask and it was strange to see him with it in his home. He would keep it down; pooled around his neck for most of the time they spent together.

Sakura wanted to lie, she wanted to come up with a story as she didn't want to speak about it, but this wasn't the time to be dishonest to herself and to Kakashi.

"I thought it was you dying on that operating table. I thought you are going to leave me here alone again."

"Is that why you were avoiding me?"

Sakura nodded her head, looking at her hands folded in her lap. "How can you live with someone when you know he is going to die?"

"Everyone is going to die eventually Sakura. You just need to find someone that makes you happy during the time you have."

"Is it really that easy?" A single tear fell down Sakura's face and Kakashi brushed it away from her face with his thumb. He kept his hand in place, holding her cheek and she leaned into the warmth of his palm.

"You have to make it easy, otherwise you will be scared to even step out into the street. Thinking about the future in such way brings only sadness."

That is exactly how she felt these last two months. She was depressed, sad and no amount of work could take her mind off of Kakashi. And she was trying really hard to forget him this time. To guard her heart again from the imminent breaking once Kakashi died. She thought that cutting him out of her life now would save her some sorrow in the future, but it just made her life dark. That is how she felt; she lived in darkness without him. All her memories with him were filled with light and the smell of woods and rain that emanated from his every pore.

Sakura pressed her hand to his that was still on her face. "I don't want to be without you." She let her heart speak for the first time in a long time.

Kakashi pulled her into his lap and embraced her, kissing her head lovingly. She stirred and looked up to his face and pulled his mask down gently, doing it as if for the first time. Her fingers traced the scar on his face, the slope of his nose, the line of his lips. Her hand rested on his cheek and gently pulled him down to her face. The kiss was almost chaste, just a gentle touch of their lips. Kakashi's hand came up to her neck and pulled her even closer, deepening the kiss, trying to convey all he felt for her in this simple movement of lips.

As their kisses grew more passionate, their hands kept wondering around their bodies, feeling each other. It was not hurried, it was intense and every touch, every stroke and every kiss was full of emotion that made Sakura feel as though her heart will burst from the joy and bliss of the moment.

Only when she felt the soft bed press into her back did she realize that Kakashi had picked her up and moved them to his bedroom. She didn't realize up till now how much she missed the feel of his body pressing her into the mattress. The touch of his hands on her skin and his lips on hers.

Sakura felt her skin burn at his touch and she felt frustrated and trapped in the clothes. She wanted, no she needed to feel his skin on hers and she pulled impatiently at his garments that he willingly discarded. As he was busy with his own shirt she pulled her self up and ran her hands and lips around his firm torso. The smell, feel and taste of his skin were almost intoxicating and she kept kissing every part of his chest that she had access to. Kakashi let out a feral sound, almost a growl, when she ran her nails almost painfully over his back, effectively pulling him closer to her body. His weight on top of her was making her feel grounded, as if this was the place she belonged, in his arms. This felt so right to her that she almost wanted to scream at herself for being so blind and stupid and stubborn these past weeks about the feelings and insecurities that made her so reckless. She saw so many reasons of why this shouldn't be, so many obstacles and only darkness and confusion. Once she saw him, it was like someone turned on a light and she could see clearly once again.

Kakashi sensed that her mood has changed slightly so he stopped his nibbling of her ear and looked at her face, hoping she didn't change her mind. He was not sure if he would be able to let her go so easily this time. When he saw her it almost took his breath away. She cupped his face with her palm and smiled the most happiest and loving smile he had ever seen on a woman's face. She looked like and angel, whit a pink halo around her face as her hair spread on the white pillow she was lying on and a smile that would melt the coldest of hearts.

Kakashi smiled back at her, a smile that she knew was meant only for her. He moved his hand to her face and brushed a strand of hair out of her brow leaving a kiss in its place. He kissed almost every centimeter of her face, teasing her by kissing her just at the corner of her mouth. Sakura gave out an impatient whimper as she felt almost feverish as her body heated under those chaste, butterfly kisses he was leaving on her face. He happily complied, crushing his lips to hers, leaving her breathless from the overwhelming emotions behind it. His hands traveled down her side just to get under the fabric of her shirt. His warm palm pressed to her slim waist and Sakura arched her back as he moved his hand to the small of her waist and pulled her to him. Sakura's head fell back to the pillow to give Kakashi a better access to her neck and the sensitive spot just below her ear. Sakura bit her lip as he found the spot on her neck and sucked on it, leaving a red mark in its place as she had left red scratch marks on his back.

Kakashi moved down her body to lift her shirt up on her body, kissing her flat stomach on his way up. His kisses were making her skin heat up and tingle with the anticipation of his next touch and kiss. Once the shirt was discarded he moved his hands behind her back to unclasp her light blue bra and let it fall to the ground with the rest of their clothes and proceeded to kiss her until they were both out of breath.

This time it wasn't about lust, quick joining of two bodies searching for release. This time it was desire, it was about the touch, the kiss, the smell, the feel of the other person. She realized that this was truly the first time they were making love, instead of having sex. As hot and satisfying their joining was in the past, it was incomparable to the way her heart felt, warm as if it was about to melt just from the look of longing in his eyes before he kissed her silly. She knew she would not be able to cross the room of how weak her legs felt every time his lips touched hers.

Sakura moved her hands around his back and to the front to unbutton and unzip his pants and moved them down his body as her arms could reach and used her feet to tug them rest of the way with his help. All that remained from their clothes were Sakura's light blue panties and his grey boxers that as Sakura noticed has shuriken pattern printed on them. They were so much like Kakashi that she would have laughed if he didn't clasp his lips around her pink nipple at the same moment. The trained flick of his tongue around her nipple almost made her come and she let out a deep moan.

When he moved his hand to her other nipple it was almost too much for her and she gripped the sheets with one hand and his hair with the other arching her back into him. When he paid the same attention to her other breast she pulled him up her body and kissed him and aligning their sexes at the same time. The feel of his hard member pressing on her waiting and aching entrance was making her heart race with anticipation and the coil in her stomach tighten. She moved her hands over his back once again letting her hands go down over his defined muscles to his tight bottom. Sakura slid her hands under the fabric of his boxers and felt him shiver at her touch. She pulled at his underwear and he took it off while she slipped her own panties down her legs and to the floor.

For a moment they just looked in each others eyes as he positioned himself at her wet entrance, their faces close, and their breaths mixing. His right hand entwined and gripping hers, pushing her into the mattress as the world went silent and all they could hear was the blood pumping through their veins and their hearts beating in their ears. As Kakashi slowly pushed himself inside of her, Sakura let out a silent 'oh' as she opened her mouth and closed her eyes in ecstasy. His own head fell down to her neck as he willed himself not to come in that instant. Her warmth enclosed him and he lost himself in her softness. When he got his emotions a little under check he slowly started to move out and back again into her satin-like softness.

As their bodies started to glisten from perspiration their movement began to quicken. They both wanted to stay in this state of pre-climax but it was getting closer with each pump and it was impossible to stop their bodies from reaching what they ached for. In almost perfect sync Sakura climaxed and as her walls clasped around his member it forced him to climax with her. With last few irregular pumps and laud moans from both of them Kakashi collapsed on top of Sakura, but moved to turn them around, taking her with him unwilling to lose the contact of their bodies. He felt as her walls still pulsated with her orgasm as he was still inside her. She lay on top of him, her face buried in his neck and her arms resting on his chest. Kakashi pulled the side of his bed cover over them as the chill of the night reached their heated bodies and like that, joined together, they fell asleep.

When Kakashi was woken up in the morning by Sakura's kisses he didn't even mind that it was just six in the morning. When Sakura pushed away from him and looked him in the eyes.

"So, what now?" Sakura asked with a little insecurity in her voice.

"Now my dear ex-student," Kakashi answered and kissed a part of her face and neck with every word," I'll send Pakkun to the hospital to let them know that you are really, really sick and will be unable to work for the next week or two. Might get a little serious and I will have to quarantine you for a month or two, just to be sure of course."

"Oh my, that seems really serious. I should really stay in bed. Maybe you should send Pakkun also to let them know that I will need taking care off so you will not be available for any missions the next few months. Just to be sure you didn't get it from me." Sakura suggested and pulled his face closer to hers "As I am a trained medical professional I would start with a mouth to mouth and see if there is a way to save me."

Sakura smiled at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes and kissed him until they both forgot that they wanted to let the outside world to know that they were unavailable for the next few weeks. That proved to be very unfortunate for one ANBU agent that instead of knocking on the door went for the window instead. He had nightmares for the rest of his life that always had a pink and white tint to them.

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Reviews are always welcome ;) and thank you again for reading!


	35. Epilogue

Tsunade was stomping through the streets and the villagers were jumping out of her way. There was a distinct aura around her when she stomped that had the ability to part crowds without a word. Shizune was trailing after her with Tonton in her arms and ending this little procession was Genma who was keeping as quiet as possible. It was against his health policy to interfere with a pissed off Tsunade. She became a little less volatile these last two years she took over as the head of the hospital and retired from being a Hokage but it didn't change her ability to get pissed off when a patient disregarded her orders. Her white lab coat swirled as she turned corner and walked straight into the fifth house in the row and barged in through the white entrance doors.

When she entered the house she walked straight through the hall into the living room and saw Naruto sprawled on the floor with three red bumps on his head, a fairly desperate looking Kakashi and a heavily pregnant Sakura holding her belly, walking around the couch in circles and breathing heavily.

"Can someone tell me why the hell she is not in the hospital?" Tsunade asked critically as she put her hands on the side. "And why is the Hokage out cold on the floor?"

"Oh, Naruto?" Kakashi turned around to look at still unconscious Naruto laying on the floor as if he forgotten all about him. "The first one he got when he saw Sakura's water break. The second one he got when he ran to Sakura and slipped on the wet floor."

"The third one is from me." Sakura spoke up with a crooked smile as she tried to breath through the pain. "He tried to pick me up and take me to the hospital."

That explained why Kakashi kept his distance from his pregnant girlfriend. "Now that we are on the subject of hospitals, why are you not in one Sakura?"

"I already told them that neither I nor this baby is going anywhere. Fuck this hurts." Sakura stopped and grabbed the edge of the couch as another contraction through her body.

"How far apart are they?" Tsunade asked.

"Far enough." Sakura answered and started to walk again around the couch, using it for support.

Tsunade nodded to Shizune and pointed her head at the young Hokage sprawled on the floor. Shizune turned around and handed Tonton to Genma and went to Naruto to check him out and to try to wake him up.

"So will you tell me what is going on? Obviously Sakura is in labor. Do you want to deliver the baby here, in the house?"

"The baby isn't going anywhere!" Sakura growled and actually crossed her legs as if it would stop the baby on its way out.

"Sakura, please, can we talk about this after you and the baby are in the hospital and taken care off?" Kakashi tried to persuade her once again to drop the matter and leave for the hospital.

"No! What if something happens? I want this baby to be yours.

"It is mine, or is there something you are not telling me?"

Sakura shot him a sour glare and started to pace again around the couch. "This is not the time to be funny Kakashi!"

"Sorry, I'm not. Nothing is going to happen to you, so please let it go and come to the hospital."

"If you don't want to, just say so. There is no need to be gentle with the pregnant lady." Sakura stopped again so she could look into his eye.

"Of course I want to. But this can wait; we can plan the whole thing and have friends over. You can think it over."

"I don't want to think it over. I know I said I don't want to marry; that the baby didn't change anything, but what if something happens to me? Things like that happen and I want your son to have your name when he is born. I want him to be born to a real family. Please?"

This time Kakashi dared to approach her and pressed a hand to her cheek. "It will make me the happiest man alive." Kakashi pressed a masked kiss to her forehead. "But can it wait until you are in hospital?"

"No!"

"I thought so." Kakashi nodded and took a glass of water from the table and splashed it to straight into Naruto's face.

He woke up with a start "Is it over?" was his first question when he sat up.

"Not yet. You're needed Rokudaime." Kakashi helped him get up on his feet and pushed him closer to Sakura.

Naruto held his hands up in defense. "Oh no, I'm not getting that baby out of her."

"No, you baka. I want you to marry us. Not deliver my baby." Sakura just shook her head at her friend.

"Oh, really? Now? Don't you want to go to the hospital first?"

Kakashi quickly jumped in front of him to stop Sakura from punching him again. "If you knock him out again who is going to marry us?"

"Good point." Sakura agreed and let herself be checked out by Tsunade.

"Shizune? Genma? Could you be our witnesses for the marriage?" Kakashi asked his too quiet best friend and his girlfriend. When he saw Kakashi settling down he accepted his fate and decided to renew his old relationship he used to have with Shizune, before she left with Tsunade on her gambling journeys.

"Anything for you two." Genma smiled and moved the senbon he was chewing on to the other side of his mouth.

"Should we start?" Naruto asked and cleared his throat. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today-"

"Short version Naruto, please!" Sakura yelled at him as another contraction made her see stars from the pain.

"Short version, right. Hatake Kakashi, do you take Haruno Sakura to be your wife?"

"I do." Kakashi answered and tried not to hiss in pain as she crushed the bones in his hand. He really hoped he will have some left after this birth, because if this was any indication, all he will have left is a tiny dust that used to be bones.

"Haruno Sakura, do you take Hatake Kakashi to be your husband?"

"I dooooo!" Sakura raised her voice as the remaining pain from the contraction faded.

"I hereby pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Naruto almost fainted again as Kakashi pulled down his mask and kissed Sakura on the lips and kept smiling at her as the idiot in love that he was, still after five years they have been together.

"Now, will someone get me to the hospital or will you all just smile and stare at Kakashi?"


End file.
